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BLAZING  THE  WAY. 


Blazing  the  Way; 


Or, 


Pioneer  Experiences  in  Idaho, 
Washington,  and  Oregon 


By 

W.  W.  VAN  DUSEN,  D.  D. 

(For  eleven  years  presiding  elder  in  the  Nortkwest.) 


CINCINNATI  :  JENNINGS  AND  GRAHAM 
NEW  YORK :   EATON  AND  MAINS 


COPYRIGHT,  1905, 
JENNINGS    AND   GRAHAM 


PREFACE. 

The  purpose  of  this  book  is  twofold:  First, 
to  show  clearly,  from  the  experience  of  the 
writer,  that  the  demands  for  pioneer  work  in  the 
Church  have  not  yet  ceased  to  exist;  second,  to 
present  a  faithful  and  true  picture  of  the  phys- 
ical and  moral  conditions  of  the  country  de- 
scribed. 

Concerning  each  of  these  matters  there  is 
much  confusion  of  mind  among  some  people. 
Those  who  live  in  the  older  sections  of  our  coun- 
try find  it  -lifficult  to  comprehend  the  situation 
where  the  people  are  so  widely  scattered  as  they 
are  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  States  and  Territories. 
This  book  sets  forth  what  the  writer  has  seen, 
together  with  some  facts  which  he  can  vouch  for 
as  if  he  had  seen  them.  It  is  certainly  much 
more  to  be  trusted  than  the  ordinary  real  estate 
circular,  or  the  prospectus  of  the  mine  promoter. 
The  writer  has  no  motive  in  presenting  a  view 
other  than  is  borne  out  by  facts. 
5 


813960 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 


CHAPTER 

I.   Pioneer  Conditions,          -         -         -  ii 

II.  The  Inland  Empire,      -         -         -  19 

III.  "The  Two  Wallas,"        -         -         -31 

IV.  A  Glimpse  of  Frontier  Life,          -  38 
V.  West  of  the  Cascades,     -         -         -  49 

VI.   The  Habitat  of  the  Salmon,          -  57 
VII.   Early  Religious  Workers,       -         "72 
VIII.   Among  Settler's   Cabins  and  Indian 

Tepees,           -         -         -         -  84 

IX.  A  Midwinter  Journey,     -         -         -  105 

X.   A  Midsummer  Tramp,    -         -         -  116 

XL  Profanity  and  Liquor,     -         -         -  124 

XII.  Ignorance  AND  Filth,  -         -         -  i37 

XIII.  Indian  Types, M4 

XIV.  Jonah  Hays,  the  Christian  Indian,  153 
XV.  The  Elijah  of  the  Cceur  d'Alenes,  175 

XVI.   Oasis  and  Desert,    -         -         -         -  184 

XVII.  The  Niagara  of  the  West,   -         -  197 


BLAZING  THE  WAY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Pioneer  Conditions. 

Pioneer  work  has  not  yet  ended  in  the  United 
States  of  America.  Many  thousands  of  people 
still  live  in  log  or  sod  houses,  or  in  mere  board 
shanties,  and  some  of  these  are  several  miles  from 
their  nearest  neighbors.  In  the  year  1900  the 
population  of  the  State  of  Idaho  was  less  than 
two  persons  for  each  square  mile,  while  in  the 
State  of  New  York  each  square  mile  contained 
one  hundred  and  thirty-five  persons,  and  in  sev- 
eral other  Eastern  States  the  population  was  even 
more  dense.  The  entire  Rocky  Mountain  region 
is  as  yet  sparsely  settled,  and  one  may  travel 
many  miles  by  train  through  parts  of  the  great 
West  and  scarcely  see  its  inhabitants.  What 
must  it  be,  then,  when  one  goes  away  from  the 
railroads  among  the  mountains,  or  on  the  great 
plains  where  the  only  means  of  transportation 
are  the  stage-coach  or  the  cayuse?  Men  and 
II 


12  Blazing  the  Way. 

women  are  yet  living  who  have  never  seen  a 
railway  coach,  or  heard  the  screech  of  the  loco- 
motive, and  many  of  these  live  in  the  Western 
States  and  Territories. 

The  people  of  this  section  are  engaged  in  a 
great  variety  of  occupations.  Some  are  miners, 
others  are  cattlemen  or  sheep-herders,  while 
others  are  farmers,  hunters,  or  teamsters.  Of 
course  the  great  majority  of  people  who  dwell  in 
the  arid  or  mountain  region  have  come  from  the 
East,  and  have  been  accustomed  to  nearer  neigh- 
bo:  s  and  modern  methods  of  living,  and  many 
still  live  within  easy  reach  of  cities  and  towns 
and  railroads ;  and  yet  it  is  true  that  many  wander 
away  from  the  lines  of  travel  to  seek  their  for- 
tune in  remote  parts  of  the  land. 

A  hundred  years  ago,  when  Lewis  and  Clark 
began  their  expedition  across  the  continent,  al- 
most the  last  white  man  they  left  on  the  very 
outskirts  of  the  settlements  was  Daniel  Boone,  of 
Kentucky  fame,  who  had  been  retreating  from 
the  abodes  of  men  during  all  his  long  life  of 
seventy  years,  so  intense  was  his  infatuation  for 
the  wilderness.      The  restless  spirit  of    Boone 


Pioneer  Conditions.  13 

seems  to  inhere  in  many  persons  who  are  unable 
to  enjoy  hfe  with  near  neighbors,  or  can  not  en- 
dure the  cities  and  tcwns  and  modern  arts  of 
civil  life.  In  response  to  this  spirit,  thousands 
are  still  seeking  congenial  haunts  far  from  their 
fellows  among  the  lofty  mountains,  or  on  the 
great  plains  of  the  western  half  of  our  country. 

These  people  are  gathered  from  all  parts  of 
our  own,  and  from  many  other  lands.  Here  are 
people  of  infinite  variety,  no  matter  by  what  prin- 
ciple of  classification  we  judge  them,  even  as 
they  come  from  all  kinds  of  homes  and  from  all 
sorts  of  environment  and  opportunity.  Some  are 
persons  of  culture  and  refinement,  and  others  are 
their  pronounced  opposite  in  these  graces  of 
civilization.  Some  are  religious,  and  some  are 
very  irreligious.  Let  no  one  think,  however, 
that  all  who  live  in  rough  and  uncouth  society 
are  boors  in  manners  or  education.  It  is  well 
known  that  the  grade  of  intelligence  in  mining 
Camps  is  very  high,  and  even  the  adventurers  of 
the  plains  are  not  behind  their  fellows  of  the 
Eastern  cities  in  general  information.  One  would 
be  surprised  to  learn  of  the  number  who  are 


14  Blazing  the  Way. 

from  the  best  colleges  of  the  land,  or  have  had 
the  advantages  of  the  universities  of  Europe,  or 
have  traveled  in  Eastern  countries.     They  have 
come  to  the  West  to  improve  their  fortune,  to 
make  money,  to  grow^  up  with  the  country,  and 
to  make  a  name  for  themselves.     Their  being 
here  is  an  evidence  of  their  energy,  and  this  is 
displayed  by  a  certain  restlessness  of  spirit  and  of 
dissatisfaction  with  present  conditions.      Some 
are  in  the  professions,  and  others  are  seeking 
fortunes   in   speculation   in   mines,   in   handling 
sheep    or    cattle,    or    in    managing    irrigation 
schemes.     Those  who  were  failures  in  the  old 
home  country  are  trying  to  achieve  success,  and 
those  who  were  successful  elsewhere  are  attempt- 
ing to  win  a  greater  success  in  their  new  home. 
Along  with  these  are  some  who  would  have  been 
dead  long  ago  had  they  not  aroused  themselves 
and  determined  to  try   for  life  by  a  complete 
change  of  conditions  and  climate  in  a  strange 
land.     Here,  as  elsewhere,  the  masses  are  striv- 
ing chiefly  for  worldly  gain  with  but  little  thought 
of  the  demands  of  a  higher  nature  or  the  calls 
of  humanity.     Others,  however,  are  giving  due 


Pioneer  Conditions.  15 

lieed  to  all  the  requirements  of  existence,  and 
are  devoting-  some  attention,  at  least,  to  the  wel- 
fare of  society.  We  find  among  these  last  a  due 
proportion  of  schoolteachers  and  ministers  of 
the  Gospel,  who  are  laying  the  foundations  for 
the  future  empire  of  religion  and  civilization. 
Schools  and  Churches  and  other  institutions,  the 
object  of  which  is  to  save  and  uplift  humanity, 
are  becoming  more  numerous  as  the  country 
makes  advances  in  age  and  material  things.  The 
log  schoolhouse,  sometimes  with  a  roof  of  sod  or 
shakes,  is  a  place  of  worship  as  well  as  of  in- 
struction, and  the  itinerant  preacher  is  as  much 
an  institution  as  is  the  schoolteacher,  though  his 
circuit  may  be  so  large  that  he  can  not  make  his 
rounds  more  frequently  than  once  or  twice  a 
month. 

The  circuit  system  is  not  a  thing  of  the  past 
in  the  Rockv  Mountain  region.  It  is  recognized 
as  being  so  well  adapted  to  the  work  to  be  done, 
that  it  is  now  employed  by  all  denominations, 
and  a  circuit  preacher  is  not  necessarily  a  Meth- 
odist, as  was  once  the  case,  for  all  the  Churches 
have  learned  to  use  the  machinery  which  is  best 


l6  Blazing  the  Way. 

adapted  to  the  ends  in  view  and  is  best  able  to 
do  the  work  required.  In  a  sparsely  settled 
country  the  circuit  rider  is  indispensable  to  the 
best  results  in  religious  work.  The  same  is  also 
true  concerning  the  presiding  eldership.  The 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  this  institution 
both  in  name  and  in  fact,  and  all  others  have 
something  quite  like  it  in  practice,  whether  they 
will  acknowledge  the  name  or  not.  The  superin- 
tendence exists  under  different  names  in  differ- 
ent Churches.  In  one  it  is  the  "Synodical  mis- 
sionary ;"  in  another  it  is  the  "bishop ;"  in  yet 
another  it  is  the  "superintendent"  or  the  "State 
evangelist,"  Under  a  great  variety  of  names 
the  superintendency  is  maintained,  and  by  its  aid 
the  work  is  carried  forward  by  all  the  Churches. 
No  denomination  in  a  new  country  can  succeed 
without  the  circuit  system  and  some  form  of 
superintendency.  The  name  by  which  this  is 
designated  is  of  little  consequence. 

The  writer  has  been  a  presiding  elder  in  the 
Rocky  Mountain  region  for  eleven  years.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  has  traveled  by  all  sorts  of  con- 
veyances in  his  regular  work  more  than  135,000 


Pioneer  Conditions.  17 

miles.  While  much  of  this  journeyin<^  has  heen 
accompHshed  by  modern  methods,  tlie  stage- 
coach and  the  horse  and  saddle  have  received 
their  full  share  of  patronage,  and  the  writer  is 
quite  familiar  with  each ;  at  the  same  time  he 
has  not  forgotren  the  art  of  walking,  for  long 
pedestrian  irips  have  often  been  a  part  of  his 
regular  exercise.  He  has  occasionally  preached 
in  the  large  city  churches,  but  more  frequently 
in  the  log  schoolhousc,  or  in  the  open  air,  or  in 
the  humble  home  of  the  settler.  He  has  shared 
the  hospitality  of  all  classes,  having  sometimes 
been  in  the  home  of  the  rich,  but  more  frequently 
under  the  roof  of  a  brother  itinerant,  or  in  the 
hiome  of  the  farmer  or  cabin  of  the  miner.  He 
has  often  slept  for  hours  in  the  day-coach  of  the 
railroad,  when  night  and  day  were  much  the 
same.  He  has  many  times  made  his  pillow  on 
the  hard  seat  of  the  waiting-room,  and  on  sev- 
eral occasions  he  has  spent  the  night  in  the  straw- 
stack  or  hay-mow,  or  in  an  Indian  cabin,  or,  pos- 
sibly, in  still  more  uncomfortable  quarters.  He 
has  fared  sumptuously  on  the  best  the  land  af- 
forded, and  he  has  sometimes  fasted  when  it  was 
2 


1 8  Blazing  the  Way. 

not  from  choice.  He  believes  he  has  done  his 
share  of  preaching  the  Word,  besides  conducting 
the  full  quota  of  business  and  other  meetings. 
He  thanks  God  for  success  in  the  work,  and  re- 
joices that  the  kingdom  has  been  built  up.  He 
writes  this  little  book  in  order  that  others  may 
know  that  ])ioneer  work  is  still  being  done,  that 
home  missions  are  a  great  success,  from  what- 
soever viewpoint  looked  upon,  and  to  increase 
the  interest  of  all  classes  in  the  work  of  new 
fields  by  addmg  something  to  the  accumulations 
of  knowledge  concerning  the  work  of  extending 
the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  in  this  great  land. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Inland  Empire. 

"That  is  the  best  I  can  do  for  you,"  said 
Bishop  Walden,  as  he  placed  his  finger  on  the 
list  of  appointments,  about  ten  minutes  before 
the  adjournment  of  the  Columbia  River  Con- 
ference in  1892.  He  had  called  me  to  his  table, 
and  then  indicated  that  for  the  ensuing  year  I 
was  to  be  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Spokane  Dis- 
trict. He  possibly  observed  that  I  turned  a  trifle 
pale,  for  this  appointment  was  wholly  unlooked 
for,  and  then  he  added  by  way  of  comfort :  "That 
means  business,  and  hard  work:  now  do  your 
best." 

The  Spokane  District  at  that  time  included  a 
part  of  Eastern  Washington  and  a  part  of  North- 
ern Idaho,  a  tract  about  the  size  of  half  of  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania.  Four  years  later,  by  a 
readjustment  of  boundaries,  the  district  was 
doubled  in  area.  Before  assuming  charge  of  this 
19 


20  Blazing  the  Way. 

important  and  growing  field  I  had  learned,  on 
consulting  that  wonderful  book,  the  "Discipline 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,"  in  the  chap- 
ter on  the  "Duties  of  a  Presiding  Elder,"  that 
one  of  my  duties  was  to  travel  through  the  dis- 
trict. One  of  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from 
this  is  the  knowledge  to  be  gained  in  geology, 
chemistry,  and  other  sciences,  not  omitting  nat- 
ural history  and  botany. 

The  year  1900  found  me,  by  another  turn  of 
the  itinerant  wheel,  traveling  in  the  same  capacity 
with  the  entire  Idaho  Conference  as  my  field. 
This  Conference  embraces  all  of  Southern  Idaho 
and  a  part  of  Eastern  Oregon,  a  territory  about 
the  size  of  all  of  New  York  State  and  half  of 
Pennsylvania.  What  shall  I  say  of  the  country 
included  between  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the 
Cascade  Range,  familiarly  known  as  the  "Inland 
Empire?"  It  is  true  that  this  empire  of  terri- 
tory is  not  all  embraced  within  the  bounds  of 
the  two  districts  just  mentioned,  but  they  cover 
a  large  part  of  it.  In  my  journeys  I  have  some- 
times gone  beyond  these  limitations,  and  in  this 
book  I  shall  not  be  confined  by  very  contracted 


The  Inland  Empire.  21 

lines,  though  the  major  portion  of  the  narrative 
pertains  to  the  "Inland  Empire." 

This  is  a  very  difficult  country  clearly  to  de- 
scribe to  a  person  from  the  East,  because  it 
presents  so  many  features  which  are  unknown 
to  those  who  have  never  seen  it.  It  is  a  land  of 
constantly  recurring  surprises,  and  it  takes  years 
of  experience  fully  to  know  it.  In  the  first  place, 
it  is  a  very  large  and  sparsely  inhabited  country. 
Its  chief  cities  are  Spokane,  Walla  Walla,  and 
Boise,  with  dozens  of  other  lesser  towns  which 
range  in  population  from  a  thousand  to  five 
times  that  number.  Much  of  the  section  under 
consideration  is  very  fertile,  and  many  parts  are 
in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  while  other  larger 
portions  are  apparently  worthless,  desert  wastes. 
Lofty  mountains  and  deep  canyons  divide  and 
cut  the  land  into  separate  natural  divisions.  The 
mountains  run  up  in  the  highest  peaks  about 
nine  thousand  feet,  and  the  valleys  sink  as  low 
as  seven  hundred  feet  above  sea  level.  Nearly 
all  the  rivers  and  small  streams  llow  through 
deep  canyons,  in  some  instances  from  fifteen 
hundred  to  two  thousand   feet  below   the  table 


22  Blazing  the  Way. 

lands,  which  are  only  a  few  miles  distant.  This 
is  true  of  the  Columbia  and  Snake,  the  great 
rivers  of  the  Northwest,  as  well  as  of  their  thou- 
sands of  tributaries.  This  difference  in  altitude 
will  in  itself  alone  account  for  a  great  diversity 
in  climate  and  rainfall.  Climatic  conditions  as 
different  as  those  of  Syracuse  and  Washington, 
D.  C,  are  here  frequently  found  in  places  not 
twenty  miles  apart. 

The  mountains  are  generally  covered  with 
pine,  fir,  and  spruce  timber,  and  the  streams  are 
sometimes  fringed  with  cottonwood  and  willow, 
and  in  other  places  their  banks  are  absolutely 
bare.  The  great  plains  and  plateaus,  generally 
speaking,  are  barren  as  far  as  trees  are  concerned, 
and  the  plains  of  Eastern  Oregon  and  Southern 
Idaho  are  covered  with  the  familiar  mark  of  the 
Rocky  Mountain  region,  the  ubiquitous  sage- 
brush, a  bushy  growth  of  highly  scented  and 
bitter  shrub,  varying  in  height  from  a  few  inches 
to  ten  feet.  As  we  journey  over  the  vast  stretches 
of  land  covered  with  this  growth  as  far  as  the 
eye  can  reach,  the  query  constantly  arises,  What 
is  it  all  for? 


The  Inland  Empire.  23 

Many  parts  of  Eastern  Washington  and 
Northern  Idaho,  in  their  virgin  state,  abounded 
with  the  wild  rose  and  sunflowers.  These  for- 
merly flowering  meadows  have  been  converted 
into  the  famous  and  more  utilitarian  wheat- 
fields,  whose  yield  per  acre  has  been  the  marvel 
of  wheat-growers  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
Northern  and  Central  Idaho  has  lofty  mountains, 
wdiose  summits  are,  in  some  instances,  nearly 
always  covered  with  snow.  Below  the  snow-line 
they  are  clothed  with  timber,  or  a  light  growth 
of  mountain  mahogany  and  sarvis-bush,  with  oc- 
casional groups  of  quaking  asp,  and  beneath  the 
surface  they  are  rich  in  minerals.  Indeed  this 
is  true  also  of  both  Eastern  Oregon  and  North- 
ern Washington. 

Let  us  ^ake  a  brief  excursion  from  Spokane, 
in  Eastern  Washington,  to  Lake  Chelan,  to  the 
west  of  the  Columbia  in  the  same  State.  We 
journey  due  west,  and  after  the  first  twenty 
miles  we  get  away  from  the  pine  forests  which 
surround  our  point  of  departure,  and  we  are  on 
the  rolling  prairie.  The  soil  is  rich  and  dry  and 
dustv.     Is  it  not  a  remarkable  fact  that  real  es- 


24  Blazing  the  Way. 

tate  dealers  and  railroad  companies,  in  all  their 
representations  of  this  country,  have  never  yet 
discovered  that  there  is  dust  here  ?  Yet  it  is  very 
much  in  evidence.  It  covers  our  clothing ;  it  gets 
into  our  eyes;  v^e  see  it,  we  smell  it,  we  taste  it. 
Wherever  air  goes,  dust  goes.  Lewis  and  Clark 
on  their  westward  journey  of  discovery  encoun- 
tered it  the  same  as  all  others  who  have  visited 
these  regions.  Their  latest  historian  says :  "As 
the  party  advanced  to  the  westward,  following 
the  crooked  course  of  the  Missouri,  they  were 
very  much  afflicted  with  inflamed  eyes,  occa- 
sioned by  the  fine  alkaline  dust  that  blew  so 
lightly  that  it  sometimes  floated  for  miles,  like 
clouds  of  smoke.  The  dust  even  penetrated  the 
works  of  one  of  their  watches  although  it  was 
protected  by  tight  double  cases.  In  these  later 
days,  even  the  double  windows  of  the  railway 
trains  do  not  keep  out  this  penetrating  dust, 
which  makes  one's  skin  dry  and  rough." 

We  hardly  dare  tell  what  we  have  experienced 
in  our  encounters  with  dust  for  fear  it  will  ap- 
pear to  have  penetrated  even  our  reputation  for 
truthfulness.    We  will,  however,  venture  to  make 


The  Inland  Empire.  25 

a  statement  of  a  well-known  fact  that  can  be 
vouched  for  by  others.  Many  is  the  time,  when 
riding  on  a  stage-coach  behind  four  horses,  we 
have  been  unable  to  see  the  leaders  because  of 
dust.  On  account  of  this  fact  many  teamsters 
put  bells  on  their  horses  to  avoid  collisions  with 
other  teams. 

We  are  now  in  this  dry  and  dusty  region, 
with  our  faces  to  the  west.  A  hundred  miles 
brings  us  to  the  Grand  Coulee,  a  long  depression 
in  the  earth  not  unlike  a  dry  river-bed,  a  thousand 
feet  in  depth.  It  is  perfectly  dry,  save  for  a  few 
pools  of  stagnant  water  strongly  impregnated 
with  alkali.  Descending  to  its  bottom,  we  look 
about  and  note  the  great  walls  of  basaltic  rock 
rising  on  either  side,  and  we  are  led  to  inquire 
whether  the  earth  has  cracked  open  and  then 
partly  filled  the  crevasse  from  fires  beneath. 
Climbing  out  of  this  depression,  we  go  on  for 
twenty  miles  further,  and,  lo !  another  coulee, 
deeper  still,  lies  before  us.  This  is  known  as  the 
Moses  Coulee,  and  the  two  are  a  puzzle  to  the 
geologist.  One  is  fifty,  and  the  other  one  hun- 
dred miles  in  length.     They  resemble  river-beds 


26  Blazing  the  Way. 

in  appearance,  and  it  is  no  wonder  the  question 
is  often  asked  whether  the  mighty  Columbia  has 
not  flowed  through  them  at  some  remote  period. 
Many  think  it  has,  and  possibly  this  is  the  cor- 
rect theory  in  explanation  of  these  wonders  of 
nature. 

We  press  on  for  thirty  miles  farther,  still 
facing  the  west.  We  begin  to  descend  by  a  wind- 
ing road  from  the  central  table-lands  or  plains 
of  the  Columbia.  How  steep  the  way  is!  The 
road  is  eight  miles  long  in  making  this  descent. 
Down,  down  we  go.  Mighty  convulsions  of  na- 
ture are  in  evidence  at  every  turn.  The  earth 
has  been  broken  up  by  most  violent  upheavals. 
Here  earthquakes  have  frolicked.  At  some  re- 
mote period  these  rocks  have  been  melting  hot, 
and  this  soil  has  been  blown  from  volcanoes  as 
the  finest  dust  and  ashes.  Rocks  are  everywhere, 
tier  above  tier ;  now  in  regular  basaltic  form,  like 
the  Giant's  Causeway ;  now  broken  in  the  utmost 
confusion,  as  if  hurled  by  an  army  of  battling 
gods.  A  mile  or  two  before  us  we  see  the  jut- 
tmg  rimrock  standing  like  a  mighty  fortress.  Be- 
tween it  and  us  flows  the  tortuous  Columbia,  and 


The  Inland  Empire.  27 

beyond,  and  higher  still,  are  the  Cascades,  the 
tips  of  which  are  white  with  snow,  in  beautiful 
contrast  with  the  green  forests  at  a  lower  level. 

We  are  still  descending,  and  presently  we 
round  a  mighty  rock,  and  catch  our  first  glimpse 
of  the  glistening  Columbia  in  the  canyon  below. 
We  drop  down  still  farther,  and  the  river  is  at 
cur  feet.  We  look  about  us  and  presently  dis- 
cover, here  and  there,  peach-orchards  and  small 
garden  patches  on  the  sand-bars  of  the  river,  ir- 
rigated by  streams  which  tumble  from  the  rocks 
above,  or  by  water  raised  from  the  Columbia  by 
wheel  or  pump.  Sand?  Here  is  sand  enougtt 
to  supply  a  transcontinental  railroad  for  years, 
and  then  there  would  be  enough  and  to  spare. 
Sometimes  it  drifts  like  snow,  much  to  the  con- 
fusion of  the  farmer,  whose  lands  are  encroached 
upon  by  this  headstrong  trespasser,  which  re- 
gards no  other  law  than  that  of  the  winds  and 
gravitation.  At  times  it  delays  trains  by  its 
drifts,  if  the  railroad  lies  in  its  way.  Farther 
down  the  river,  where  the  Oregon  Railway  and 
Navigation  Company  has  built  its  track  parallel 
to  the  stream  for  a  hundred  miles  or  more,  trains 


28  Blazing  the  Way. 

are  sometimes  delayed  for  hours  by  the  sand 
which  drifts  across  the  track.  It  does  seem  as 
though  sand  is  not  equally  distributed  either  on 
the  earth's  surface  or  among  its  people. 

We  are  at  the  water's  edge  now,  and  the  boat 
is  coming  across  for  us.  It  is  a  cable  ferry.  You 
never  saw  one  in  the  East?  Well,  there  are  sev- 
eral sights  here  which  are  novel  to  persons  from 
the  Atlantic  seaboard,  just  as  there  are  scenes  in 
the  East  which  would  cause  us  of  the  West  to 
stare  and  wonder.  For  instance,  you  do  not  have 
the  Columbia  in  the  East,  nor  any  river  like  it. 
Bryant  may  be  excused  under  the  circumstance 
for  having  brought  the  Columbia  into  poetry  in 
a  very  poetic  manner,  and  from  a  New  England 
viewpoint  when  he  wrote, 

"  The  continuous  woods, 
Where  rolls  the  Oregon ;" 

for  there  is  scarcely  a  tree  in  sight,  nor  would 
you  see  one,  except  high  above  the  river,  were 
you  to  go  up  or  down  the  stream  for  a  hundred 
miles. 

But  that  cable  ferry, — what  is  it,  and  what  is 
it  like?     Well,  it  must  be  seen  and  studied  at 


The  Inland  Empire.  29 

close  range  in  order  to  be  understood  and  appre- 
ciated. In  this  respect  it  is  much  like  many  fea- 
tures of  the  country  where  it  is  the  principal 
means  for  crossing  the  streams  which  can  not 
be  forded.  A  wire  cable  reaches  across  the  river 
and  is  made  fast  at  each  end  to  a  hig^h  tower. 
To  this  cable  the  boat  is  attached  by  two  ropes, 
wifli  grooved  wheels  at  their  ends,  which  run  on 
the  cable  as  a  track,  and  in  this  manner  the  boat 
is  held  in  place  at  an  angle  with  the  current  of 
the  river,  which  presses  against  the  sides  of  the 
boat  and  becomes  its  propelling  power.  We  take 
passage  and  cross  after  paying  the  fare  of  four 
"bits,"  or,  as  the  uninitiated  would  say,  a  half 
dollar,  and  then  we  climb  the  opposite  bank,  and 
keep  climbing  for  a  long  distance ;  but  before  we 
reach  the  high  lands  we  arrive  at  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  lakes  in  America,  and  one  which  some 
day  will  doubtless  become  one  of  the  most  fa- 
mous, the  lovely  and  wonderful  Chelan.  It  is  a 
ribbon  of  water  seventy  miles  long,  varying  in 
width  from  a  fraction  of  a  mile  to  five  miles. 
With  the  single  exception  of  Lake  Superior,  it  is 
said  to  be  the  deepest  body  of  fresh  water  on 


30  Blazing  the  Way. 

the  continent.  It  is  set  as  an  amethyst  among 
mountains  which  rise  abruptly  on  all  sides,  their 
reflection  on  the  lucid  surface  of  the  lake  being 
seen  almost  or  quite  as  distinctly  as  the  moun- 
tains themselves.  At  its  western  end  it  is  fed  by 
the  eternal  snows  of  the  Cascades,  which  send 
down  their  hundreds  of  silvery  rivulets  of  cool- 
ing water. 

Yesterday  we  were  on  the  dry  and  dusty 
plains  of  the  Big  Bend  country,  the  almost  torrid 
plateau  of  the  Columbia ;  to-day  we  recognize  the 
hand  of  the  Creator  in  the  grandest  scenery  na- 
ture affords  in  this,  the  Switzerland  of  America. 
Such  is  the  land  we  would  describe,  but  in  the 
description  of  which  we  fail,  for  language  fails. 


CHAPTER  III. 

"The   Two  Wallas." 

Walla  Walla  is  the  Indian  name  for  "little 
running  wafers."  This  is  a  beautiful  place,  in  a 
garden  valley  of  great  fertility  bearing  the  same 
name,  where  once  hunted  and  dwelt  a  fierce  In- 
dian tribe,  die  terrible  Cayuses.  Forty  years  ago 
the  government  established  a  fort  here,  and  the 
maps  of  a  generation  ago  marked  the  spot  as 
"Fort  Walla  Walla."  One  of  the  large  military 
posts  of  the  Northwest  is  still  situated  at  this 
place.  Settlers  began  to  locate  here  for  trading 
purposes  about  1858,  since  which  time  this  has 
been  the  leading  town  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
A  thriving  town  of  fifteen  thousand  people,  known 
as  the  "Garden  City"  of  the  Inland  Empire,  sits 
in  her  beautiful  contentment  amid  other  towns 
on  every  hand.  The  Walla  Walla  Valley,  as  the 
country  on  all  sides  is  known,  is  a  famous  section 
for  fruits  and  grains.  Here  are  produced  enor- 
31 


32  Blazing  the  Way. 

mous  crops  of  wheat,  where  for  many  years  it 
was  thought  the  soil  was  too  dry  to  grow  any- 
thing but  bunch-grass  and  weeds.  This  section 
and  the  Palouse  country,  which  lies  a  hundred 
miles  to  the  r;orth,  constitute  the  great  wheat  belt 
of  Eastern  Washington  over  which  people  wan- 
dered for  years,  not  dreaming  it  was  good  for 
anything-  but  pasture. 

Walla  Walla  is  famed  not  only  for  its  fruit 
and  grain,  but  is  becoming  well  known  as  the 
seat  of  one  of  the  rising  educational  institutions 
of  the  West.  Here  is  located  Whitman  College, 
the  living  monument  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  Mal- 
cus  Whitman,  who,  with  the  Rev.  Henry  Harmon 
Spaulding,  and  their  young  brides,  made  their 
wedding  trip  across  the  continent  two  years  be- 
fore Fremont,  the  more  illustrious  "Pathfinder," 
ever  saw  Pike's  Peak.  The  wives  of  Whitman 
and  Spaulding  were  the  first  white  women  to 
cross  the  Rockies.  This  little  band  of  mission- 
aries entered  this  untried  and  unknown  field  un- 
der the  auspices  of  the  American  Board  of  Com- 
missioners for  Foreign  Missions,  for  this  was 
then  looked  upon  as  a  foreign  field;  and  indeed 


"The  Two  Wallas."  33 

its  political  ownership  was  by  no  means  at  that 
time  clearly  defined.  These  men  and  their  co- 
laborers  of  the  Willamette  Valley  did  much 
toward  settling  these  perplexing  questions,  and 
it  now  looks  to  us,  as  we  examine  the  records  and 
turn  on  the  light  of  history,  as  though  we,  as 
citizens  of  the  United  States,  owe  to  the  cause 
of  Christian  missions  the  fact  that  much  of  the 
Pacific  Northwest  is  now  under  the  Stars  and 
Stripes.  Indeed  we  can  not  doubt  it ;  but  this  is 
but  a  small  part  of  the  wonderful  outcome  of 
missionary  toil  in  this  land. 

Dr.  Whitman  was  a  physician,  a  man  of  great 
nerve  and  ability,  and  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  It  was  in  1836  that  this  com- 
pany began  their  work,  just  two  years  after  that 
other  band  of  missionaries  under  the  heroic  lead- 
ership of  Jason  Lee,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  having  made  the  journey  by  way  of 
Cape  Horn,  began  work  west  of  the  Cascades 
in  the  Willamette  Valley.  Eleven  years  later,  in 
1847,  Dr.  Whitman  and  thirteen  others,  of  which 
number  his  beloved  wife  was-  one,  were  brutally 
massacred  by  the  Indians  whom  they  were  toil- 
3 


34  Blazing  the  Way. 

ing  to  civilize  and  save.  The  work  of  this  [com- 
pany appeared  to  human  sight  to  have  been  ut- 
terly lost ;  Dut  now,  after  more  than  sixty  years, 
we  are  able  to  look  back,  and  we  clearly  see  that 
Marcus  Whitman  and  his  co-laborers  did  not  toil 
in  vain. 

Dr.  Whitman  established  his  headquarters  at 
a  point  called  Waiiletpu,  six  miles  west  of  where 
Walla  Walla  now  stands.  At  this  place,  and  in 
all  the  surrounding  country,  he  and  his  gifted 
wife  toiled  unceasingly,  giving  their  lives  to  the 
work  until  they  fell  the  victims  of  the  deluded 
and  cruel  red  men.  After  the  slaughter,  their 
bodies  were  laid  side  by  side  on  the  ground,  and 
a  large  wagon-box  was  inverted  and  placed  over 
them  by  their  murderers,  and  earth  was  heaped 
upon  it  until  a  mound  of  considerable  size  was 
raised  over  the  dead.  This  was  their  humble 
and  insecure  sepulcher.  Months  afterward, 
when  the  Indians  had  been  driven  back,  the  mili- 
tia from  the  settlements  of  the  Willamette  came 
and  found  this  rude  grave  had  been  dug  into  by 
coyotes  and  the  bodies  mutilated.  One  of  the 
members  of  this  expedition  has  described  this 


"The  Two  Wallas."  35 

scene  to  the  writer,  and  he  tells  of  gathering  up 
the  remains  of  the  victims  and  reburying  them. 
He  saved  a  quantity  of  IMrs.  Whitman's  hair,  a 
part  of  which  he  sent  to  her  friends  in  New  York. 
As  I  saw  this  rude  grave,  on  visiting  the  scene  of 
the  slaughter  in  1890,  it  was  a  mound  of  earth, 
possibly  twenty  feet  long  by  eight  broad,  and 
four  or  five  feet  high,  and  was  all  grown  over 
with  sagebrush  and  grass,  and  inclosed  by  a  board 
fence  painted  white.  Since  then  a  granite  shaft 
has  been  erected  on  the  spot ;  but  Whitman  Col- 
lege in  Walla  Walla  is  the  best  and  most  fitting 
memorial  monument  to  the  daring  and  devoted 
missionaries,  Dr.  Marcus  Whitman  and  his  wife, 
Narcissa  Prentice  Whitman. 

Whitman's  associate  in  early  missionary  la- 
bor, and  his  traveling  companion  across  the  con- 
tinent, the  Rev.  Henry  Harmon  Spaulding,  be- 
gan his  work  about  one  hundred  miles  to  the 
east  of  Waiiletpu,  at  Lapwai,  on  the  Clearwater 
River,  in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Idaho.  In 
1839  his  mission  received  a  present  of  a  printing- 
press  from  a  Church  in  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
and  it  was  jet  up  and  operated  at  Lapwai,  where. 


36  Blazing  the  Way. 

so  far  as  is  known,  was  printed  the  first  book  in 
the  Northwest.  The  language  used  was  the  Nez 
Perces,  and  the  book  was  for  the  use  of  the  mis- 
sionaries in  instructing  the  natives.  The  work  in 
this  mission  was  quite  successful,  and  the  natives 
responded  readily  to  instruction.  At  the  time  of 
the  Whitman  massacre,  Mr.  Spaulding  was  visit- 
ing in  that  part  of  the  country ;  but  fortunately  he 
was  that  day  at  Umatilla,  about  forty  miles  dis- 
tant from  "^he  bloody  scene,  and  so  escaped  the 
fate  which  overtook  his  associates.  On  learning 
of  the  slaughter  he  started  at  once  for  home, 
where  he  had  left  his  family,  which  place  he 
reached  after  traveling  on  foot  for  seven  nights ; 
for  he  had  lost  his  horse  on  the  way,  and  he  did 
not  dare  risk  his  life  by  exposing  himself  by  day 
for  fear  of  Indians.  He  found  his  mission  in  a  state 
of  confusion,  the  savages  having  plundered  it 
and  driven  his  wife  to  take  refuge  with  a  friendly 
chief.  For  a  time  his  mission  appears  to  have 
been  broken  up;  but  he  afterwards  resumed 
work,  the  results  of  which  are  still  found  in  all 
that  region.  He  remained  among  his  people  un- 
til death,  and  was  lovingly  laid  to  rest  in  the  mis- 


"The  Two  Wallas."  37 

sion  burial-ground  at  Lapwai.  A  few  years  ago 
I  drew  rein  at  this  historic  cemetery,  and  found 
the  following  epitaph  on  one  of  its  modest  shafts: 

"Rev.  Henry  Harmon  Spaulding. 

Born  at  Bath,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  26th,  1803. 

Commknced  the  Nez  Perces  Mission  In  1836. 

Died  Among  His  People,  at  Lapwai,  I.  T., 

August  30,  1874. 

Aged 

70  years,   8   months,   and   7  DAYS. 

What  volumes  of  isolation  and  sacrifice  are 
indicated  on  this  silent  marble  !  Yet  no  life  spent 
in  faithfulness  is  ever  lost.  These  quiet  and  un- 
ostentatious toilers  among  their  savage  brothers 
were  forerunners  for  others  who  have  come  after 
them  and  entered  upon  the  fruits  of  their  labors. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A  Glimpse  oi  Frontier  Life. 

While  living  in  Walla  Walla  as  a  pastor,  I, 
on  one  occasion,  received  a  letter  inviting  me  to 
officiate  at  a  wedding  down  the  Columbia.  The 
particular  place  of  the  wedding  was  not  made 
known  in  the  letter,  but  I  was  advised  to  go  by  a 
certain  train  to  Umatilla,  and  stop  at  the  hotel 
and  await  further  orders.  This  place  by  rail  was 
ninety-one  miles  from  home  ;  but,  being  the  near- 
est available  minister  at  that  time,  I  followed  in- 
structions, and  reached  Umatilla  at  midnight,  and 
retired  to  the  best  hotel.  This  public  hostelry 
was  not  the  Waldorf-Astoria ;  neither  was  it 
lighted  by  electricity  nor  heated  by  steam ;  for  an 
elevator  it  had  no  need.  It  was  located  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Columbia,  where  an  extensive 
tract  of  sand  reaches  far  to  the  westward.  It 
was  not  the  fault  of  the  house  or  of  its  proprie- 
tor that  a  wind-storm  arose  before  morning  and 
38 


A  Glimpse  of  Frontier  Life.  39 

drifted  dust  and  sand  an  inch  deep  across  my 
window-sill,  and  left  several  handfuls  of  the  same 
material  on  the  none  too  white  counterpane. 

At  the  breakfast-table  I  was  singled  out  by 
the  discriminating  would-be-bridegroom  as  the 
man  he  had  written  to.  He  presently  informed 
me  of  his  plans,  which  were  to  row  across  the 
river  to  a  place  called  Crimea,  which  is  a  large 
place  in  the  sense  that  all  out  of  doors  is  large — 
for  it  has  only  one  house,  which,  however,  is  dig- 
nified as  affording  shelter  for  the  post-office — 
and  then  we  would  go  up  the  river  on  the  Wash- 
ington side  to  the  first  house,  which  was  distant 
only  six  miles,  and  there  the  marriage  would 
take  place  at  high  noon.  At  Crimea,  with  its 
dock  of  one  plank,  we  were  met  by  our  friend's 
prospective  father-in-law,  who  had  come  to  meet 
us  with  four  horses  attached  to  the  fashionable 
carriage  of  that  section,  a  heavy  lumber  wagon, 
with  an  enormously  high  seat  in  front.  I  was 
honored  with  a  seat  by  the  side  of  the  driver, 
while  the  man  who  was  so  soon  to  renounce  his 
condition  of  single  blessedness  stood  up  behind 
us. 


40  Blazing  the  Way. 

That  was  an  interesting  ride  that  August 
morning.  To  the  right  was  the  broad  Columbia, 
and  on  our  left  the  country  rose  in  bluffs  and 
stretched  away  for  miles  with  its  treeless  waste 
of  sand  and  sage.  Not  a  tree  was  to  be  seen, 
save  here  and  there  a  cottonwood  and  a  few  wil- 
lows which  fringed  the  river  bank.  Of  course 
the  road  was  dusty,  for  this  was  the  dry  season, 
and  probably  not  a  drop  of  rain  had  fallen  for 
more  than  two  months,  and  this  soil  of  volcanic 
ash  requires  but  a  few  days  of  dry  weather  be- 
fore it  can  almost  be  held  in  suspense  by  the  at- 
mosphere. With  only  one  house  for  six  miles, 
it  would  hardly  pay  to  keep  the  streets  sprinkled. 
Hundreds  of  horses,  but  few  of  which  have  ever 
been,  touched  by  rope  or  halter,  save  when  the 
branding  iron  was  placed  on  them,  were  drink- 
ing at  the  river  or  browsing  on  its  edge.  These 
horses,  and  thousands  like  them,  had  never  been 
fed  a  pound  of  hay  or  grain,  and  had  never  re- 
ceived any  attention  from  the  hand  of  man  ex- 
cept when  the  cruel  marking  instrument  had  been 
heartlessly  applied.  They  were  wild  horses  until 
caught,  and  either  tamed  or  canned  (canned  beef 


A  Glimpse  of  Frontier  Life.  4' 

— canned  horse?)  as  the  case  might  be.  These 
animals  are  accustomed  to  feed  back  from  the 
river  for  several  miles  until  compelled  by  thirst 
to  return,  when  the  leader  of  the  band  makes  his 
"round  up,"  and  all  its  members  rush  with  frantic 
speed  and  confusion  to  the  river  to  drink,  which 
process  is  repeated  at  frequent  intervals  during 
the  summer  months.  In  the  winter  and  wet  sea- 
sons they  will  go  farther  back,  as  then  the  water- 
ways will  be  filled  ;  and  thus  the  "Horse  Heaven" 
country  will  be  once  more  populated. 

We  observed,  projecting  from  the  bluffs  and 
river  banks,  many  beds  of  mussel-shells,  all  above 
the  high-water  mark.  These  were  covered  with 
earth  until  che  covering  was  worn  or  blown  away. 
Some  of  these  beds  were  two  or  more  feet  in 
thickness,  and  appeared  to  be  very  ancient,  as  the 
shells  were  easily  reduced  to  powder  between  the 
thumb  and  finger.  Our  driver  and  host  informed 
us  that  Indian  implements,  bones,  arrow-points, 
and  other  articles  of  native  invention  and  utility, 
were  ordinarily  found  among  these  beds  of  shells. 
The  theory  concerning  them  is  that  long  ago, 
centuries  before  the  memory  of  persons  now  liv- 


42  Blazing  the  Way. 

ing,  tribes  of  mussel-eating  Indians  inhabited,  or 
at  least  visited,  these  parts,  and  the  deposits  are 
the  refuse  from  their  feasts.  In  this  connection 
it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  natives  living 
here  at  the  time  of  Lewis  and  Clark's  visit  sub- 
sisted chiefly  upon  the  products  of  the  river. 

Other  interesting  objects  of  this  ride  were  the 
sand-lizards,  which  would  dart  for  cover  with 
almost  lightning  swiftness  upon  our  approach. 
We  also  frightened  up  a  large  flock  of  sage-hens, 
each  of  which  appeared  to  be  about  the  size  of  a 
half-grov/n  turkey  and  of  nearly  the  same  color. 
This  bird  is  easily  approached,  and  may  be  killed 
in  great  numbers,  and  at  certain  seasons,  when  it 
has  not  been  feeding  on  the  bitter  sage-brush,  is 
excellent  food. 

The  wedding?  Why,  it  was  much  like  af- 
fairs of  that  kind  in  other  parts  of  the  country, 
except,  as  I  now  recall  it,  the  guests  and  the 
clergyman  came  from  a  much  greater  distance 
than  is  generally  the  case,  and  the  watermelon 
which  was  cut  at  the  close  of  a  splendid  dinner, 
would  have  taken  first  prize  at  a  world's  fair,  or, 
at  any  rate,  would  have  received  honorable  men- 


A  Glimpse  of  Frontier  Life.  43 

tion,  as  it  certainly  did  on  this  occasion.  It  had 
been  grown  on  an  island  in  the  Columbia,  and 
under  the  forcing  inducement  of  rich  soil,  abun- 
dant heat  and  sunshine,  with  all  the  water  it  could 
drink,  it  was  one  of  unusual  size  and  flavor.  Late 
in  the  afternoon  I  was  put  across  the  river  in  a 
small  boat,  a  train  was  flagged,  and  that  night 
found  me  at  home,  after  an  absence  of  twenty- 
four  hours.  If  time  is  precious,  a  wedding  fee 
on  such  an  occasion  should  be  large. 

The  time  consumed  in  coming  and  going  in 
a  country  like  this  is  an  item  of  great  conse- 
quence to  a  pastor  as  well  as  to  others.  The  de- 
mands made  upon  a  pastor  are  often  such  that 
the  time  consumed  in  meeting  them  deprives  him 
of  the  ability  to  do  the  work  in  the  pulpit  and 
elsewhere  which  he  otherwise  would.  Sometimes 
many  hours  are  required  in  doing  what  in  the  city 
or  town  would  consume  only  as  many  minutes. 
For  an  instance  of  this,  take  a  pastoral  call  made 
by  our  pastor  at  Grangeville,  Idaho,  a  few  years 
ago.  He  received  word  that  a  sick  man  desired 
to  receive  a  visit  from  him.  Do  we  see  him  don 
hat  and  coat,  and,  stepping  out,  hail  a  passing 


44  Blazing  the  Way. 

car?  Does  he  make  the  visit  and  return  in  fif- 
teen minutes,  his  wife  and  family  not  knowing 
of  his  absence  ?  It  is  not  exactly  after  this  fash- 
ion. The  sick  man  is  in  a  small  log  house  on 
Craig  Mountain,  two  thousand  feet  higher  than 
Grangeville,  and  forty  miles  to  the  west.  A 
journey  is  demanded.  The  pastor  put  on  over- 
coat, heavy  shoes,  and  leggings,  kissed  wife  and 
babe  good-night  and  good-bye,  saddled  his  horse 
and  rode  forty  miles  to  make  that  single  call.  He 
remained  over  night,  administered  the  sacrament 
of  baptism  and  the  holy  communion,  prayed  and 
sang  with  the  family,  and  the  following  day  re- 
turned home,  having  spent  thirty  hours  and  trav- 
eled eighty  miles  on  horseback  in  making  one 
pastoral  call. 

Another  pastor,  at  present  having  a  circuit  of 
seven  preaching  places,  each  of  which  he  reaches 
every  two  weeks,  affords  us  an  instance  which 
illustrates  how  some  men  are  compelled  to  spend 
their  time.  The  travel  involved  in  making  the 
rounds  of  this  circuit  but  once  is  two  hundred 
and  seventy-five  miles,  and  this  is  accomplished 
by  means  of  two  horses  and  a  light  wagon.  This 


A  Glimpse  of  Frontier  Life.  45 

pastor  does  not  spend  as  much  time  with  his 
family  as  his  presiding  elder  does  with  his,  al- 
though the  latter  travels  more  than  twenty  thou- 
sand miles  a  year  in  his  regular  work.  He  is 
on  the  road  in  actual  journeying  the  larger  por- 
tion of  each  week.  His  work  is  among  new  set- 
tlements where  the  accommodations  are  not  the 
most  convenient,  though  the  hospitality  of  the 
people  is  boundless.  How  he  manages  to  preach 
with  so  small  an  opportunity  for  preparation  is 
a  mystery.  Of  course  the  open  air  is  his  study, 
and  all  nature  is  his  text-book,  and  his  experi- 
ence furnishes  him  with  no  small  amount  of 
material. 

Take  a  recent  experience  from  this  man's 
work.  He  left  home  one  November  day,  not  long 
after  noon,  to  drive  to  his  next  appointment 
some  twenty  miles  distant,  to  have  service  that 
night  in  a  log  schoolhousc.  It  was  raining  hard 
when  he  started,  and  he  thought  probably  his  go- 
ing would  be  of  little  use  because  of  the  in- 
clement weather ;  but  he  determined  not  to  turn 
aside  on  this  account,  for  this  would  not  be  a 
good  example  for  his  people.   Before  he  reached 


46  Blazing  the  Way. 

the  farmhouse  where  he  purposed  taking  supper, 
it  was  very  dark,  and  when,  an  hour  later,  he 
started  for  the  place  of  meeting  he  could  see 
nothing  except  the  dim  outline  of  the  mountains 
in  the  distance,  which  formed  the  sky-line  for 
his  vision ;  but  he  finally  found  his  way  by  fol- 
lowing a  couple  of  boys  on  horseback,  whose  out- 
line he  could  discern  against  the  clouds.  On  ar- 
riving he  found  the  house  well  filled  with  peo- 
ple, some  of  whom  had  come  a  long  distance,  for 
religioi'.s  services  were  rare  in  those  parts  and 
were  duly  appreciated. 

After  service  he  again  went  out  into  the  rain 
and  darkness  to  go  to  a  place  for  entertainment, 
where,  he  had  been  assured,  he  would  receive  a 
hearty  welcome.  Not  being  familiar  with  the 
road  he  made  slow  progress,  but  finally  came  to 
the  conclusion  he  must  be  near  the  place  he  was 
seeking,  when  his  horses  came  to  a  full  stop.  On 
getting  out  ro  feel  for  the  cause — he  could  not  see 
on  account  of  the*  intense  darkness — he  found 
his  horses  were  standing  with  their  breasts 
against  a  wire  fence.  He  groped  about  and 
found  that  he  was  not  far  from  a  house,  for  he 


A  Glimpse  of  Frontier  Life.  47 

could  discern  its  dim  outline  against  the  clouds. 
He  then  backed  his  horses  away  from  the  fence, 
and  after  a  while  succeeded  in  finding  his  way 
to  the  house,  which  was  so  dark  and  quiet  that  he 
began  to  fear  its  inmates  had  gone  from  home. 
He  knocked  at  the  door,  and  obtained  no  re- 
sponse. He  next  tried  the  door,  which  yielded 
to  his  pressure,  and  as  he  listened  he  could  hear 
nothing  but  the  dropping  of  water  from  the  low 
mud  roof.  He  searched  in  vain  for  a  lantern, 
and  finally  turned  to  where  he  had  left  his  horses 
to  find  them  gone ;  but  on  going  to  the  barn, 
which  was  not  far  off,  he  found  them  there  wait- 
ing for  him  in  their  search  for  shelter.  Finally, 
after  stabling  and  feeding  the  animals,  he  re- 
turned to  the  house  to  seek  shelter  and  rest  for 
himself,  since  he  could  not  think  of  going 
farther  on  such  a  night  as  this  in  a  country  he 
was  so  unfamiliar  with,  this  being  only  his  sec- 
ond visit  to  this  people.  He  presently  found  a 
pine  stick  and  whittled  some  shavings  on  the 
top  of  the  stove ;  but  when  he  was  ready  to  light 
them  he  made  the  discovery  that  he  was  without 
matches,  and  accordingly  he  instituted  a  blind 


4^  Blazing  the  Way. 

search  for  these  necessary  articles.  Finding  a 
cupboard  he  began  to  feel  for  matches  on  the 
lowest  shelf,  and  then  on  the  next,  and  so  he 
kept  on  until  finally,  on  the  topmost  shelf,  at  the 
farthest  corner  in  a  teacup,  he  was  fortunate  in 
finding  the  objects  of  his  search.  Soon  he  had  a 
miniature  bonfire  on  the  top  of  the  stove,  and  by 
its  light  he  proceeded  with  his  investigations  in 
quest  of  a  place  for  a  night's  lodging.  In  the 
center  of  the  room  he  found  a  bed  which  had 
been  pulled  into  its  present  position  in  order  to 
avoid  the  drippings  from  the  leaks  in  the  roof, 
and  one-half  of  this  straw  bed  he  found  to  be 
nearly  dry.  By  the  aid  of  a  partially  dry  quilt 
and  a  wagon  sheet,  in  which  he  wrapped  him- 
self, this  pioneer  preacher  of  the  twentieth  cen- 
tury slept  soundly  until  morning,  when  he  went 
on  his  way,  breakfastless  but  rejoicing,  to  meet 
his  next  appointment. 


CHAPTER  V. 
West  of   the   Cascades. 

In  order  to  understand  clearly  this  wonder- 
ful country,  with  its  people  and  industries  and 
physical  features,  which  are  so  very  different 
from  those  of  the  middle  West  or  of  the  Atlantic 
sections,  let  us  take  an  excursion  of  several  days' 
duration  to  Puget  Sound,  and  thence  to  Port- 
land, and  then  down  the  Columbia  to  Astoria 
and  the  Pacific.  We  will  go  by  rail,  and  in  a 
few  hours,  after  leaving  the  Columbia  and  Cen- 
tral Washington  behind  us,  we  begin  the  inter- 
esting climb  of  the  Cascades. 

How  the  f.ice  of  nature  is  changing !  We  are 
hastened  on  and  up  through  great  canyons, 
among  the  mountains,  between  massive  rocks  and 
through  tunnels,  and  into  the  far-reaching  for- 
ests of  fir  and  spruce  which  furnish  masts  for 
the  shipping  of  the  nations.  Great  trees,  hun- 
dreds of  feet  in  height,  stand  all  about  us,  and 
4  49 


50  Blazing  the  Way. 

pierce  the  clouds  like  needles,  and,  as  far  as  the 
eye  can  reach,  rise  mountain  after  mountain  of 
forest.  At  Seattle  and  many  other  places  are 
great  mills  where  gang-saws  are  in  operation, 
sawing  immense  logs  into  all  kinds  of  lumber, 
which  is  shipped  to  foreign  lands  as  well  as  to 
the  Mississippi  Valley  and  regions  beyond.  As 
we  stand  by  the  side  of  some  of  the  logs  of  larger 
size  we  are  unable  to  look  horizontally  across 
them  without  reaching  up  on  tiptoe,  or  elevating 
ourselves  in  some  other  manner. 

What  an  interesting  and  strange  world  this  is 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Cascades !  Here  the  aver- 
age rainfall  varies  from  fifty  to  over  one  hundred 
inches  in  each  year,  while  in  the  intermountain 
regions,  which  we  have  just  left,  it  is  in  many 
places  less  than  fifteen,  and  even  where  it  is 
greatest  it  'arely  exceeds  twenty-five.  This  sin- 
gle fact  will  account  for  much  of  what  we  see. 
Then  the  Japan  current  from  the  Pacific  makes 
itself  felt  to  a  remarkable  degree  in  all  this  re- 
gion, but  more  forcefully  nearer  the  coast.  Thus 
the  atmosphere  is  always  tempered,  so  that  win- 
ter is  uniformly  mild  and  summer  is  temperate. 


West  of  the  Cascades.  5 1 

We  are  surprised  to  encounter  so  marked  a  dif- 
ference in  vegetation.  East  of  the  mountains 
brown  is  the  prevaiUng  color  in  summer,  except 
in  the  irrigated  districts ;  while  here  green  pre- 
dominates and  pleases  the  eye.  We  also  sec  some 
of  the  hard  woods  we  are  familiar  with  on  the 
Atlantic  coast,  but  which  are  wanting  throughout 
the  entire  Rocky  Mountain  region.  Daisies, 
ferns,  and  other  specimens  of  plant  life  familiar 
to  us  in  the  far  East,  but  which  are  unknown  be- 
tween the  inountains,  thrive  and  aie  abundant 
here  because  of  the  excessive  moisture.  This 
land-locked  body  of  water,  which  is  large  enough 
and  secure  enough  to  float  and  shelter  the  navies 
of  the  entire  earth,  is  Puget  Sound,  on  whose 
shores  are  many  thriving  cities  and  towns.  Whit- 
tier  well  represented  the  situation  when  he  wrote : 

"  Behind  the  scared  squaw's   birch  canoe 
The  steamer  smokes  and  raves, 
And  city  lots  are  staked  for  sale 
Above  old  Indian  graves." 

Up  and  down  the  shores  of  this  beautiful  in- 
land sea  we  find  not  merely  flourishing  cities  and 
towns  and  terminal  stations  and  docks  of  some  of 


52  Blazing  the  Way. 

the  greatest  transportation  lines  of  the  world,  but 
the  Church  of  God  has  also  been  well  established 
here,  and  is  keeping  step  with  the  march  of 
progress.  Within  the  memory  of  men  now  living, 
there  was  not  a  single  minister  of  the  Gospel  in 
this  section  where  now  is  the  Puget  Sound  Con- 
ference with  more  than  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  ministers,  and  upwards  of  twelve  thousand 
Church  members.  This  is  truly  wonderful  when 
we  remember  that  the  Conference  was  organized 
as  recently  as  1884.  Men  with  the  spirit  of  As- 
bury  and  the  fathers  have  toiled  not  in  vain  in 
the  building  up  of  this  great  and  abiding  work. 

Olympia,  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Wash- 
ington, sits  pioudly  at  the  head  of  the  Sound. 
It  is  famed  more  for  its  oysters  than  as  the  head 
of  the  State  government,  though  these  are  so 
diminutive  that  a  dozen  or  more  are  required 
to  equal  one  from  Baltimore  or  Norfolk.  The 
flavor  is  something  to  boast  of;  but  we  forbear, 
for  some  people  call  it  abominable,  yet  after  a 
time,  with  due  perseverance,  these  oysters  come 
to  be  relished,  and  by  many  are  preferred  to  the 
very  best  from  the  Atlantic  waters. 


West  of  the  Cascades.  53 

Proceeding  on  our  journey  southward  we 
come  to  the  ci  ossing  of  the  Cokimbia  at  Kalama, 
where  an  entire  train  is  taken  on  board  the  boat 
and  ferried  across  the  river,  steam  power  instead 
of  the  force  of  the  current  being  used  in  this  in- 
stance. Soon  we  are  in  Portland,  Oregon's 
metropoHs,  and  one  of  its  oldest  cities.  It  is 
beautifully  situated  on  both  sides  of  the  Willa- 
mette, but  a  few  miles  from  its  confluence  with 
the  Columbia.  The  west  side  of  the  city  extends 
up  the  bluffs  known  as  Portland  Heights,  which 
overlook  the  surrounding  country  for  many  miles. 
Let  us  climb  to  this  point  of  vantage,  and  from 
our  exalted  pedestal  obtain  one  of  the  grandest 
views  the  entire  earth  affords.  At  least  such  is 
the  opinion  of  numbers  of  persons  who  have 
traveled  widely,  and  are  in  position  to  speak  on 
this  subject.  After  leaving  the  cable  line — for 
the  heights  ^.re  too  abrupt  for  the  trolley — we 
climb  a  hundred  or  more  wooden  steps,  keeping 
our  faces  toward  the  west,  for  we  will  not  look 
behind,  as  vv-c  wish  to  have  the  beauty  of  the 
landscape  burst  suddenly  upon  our  vision  with 
all  its  splendor  the  moment  our  feet  touch  the 


54  Blazing  the  Way. 

summit.  Arriving  at  this  goal,  we  very  slowly 
turn  toward  the  south,  then  to  the  east  and  north. 
What  a  sweep  of  vision !  He  who  has  enough 
of  soul  and  \ision  to  take  in  the  beautiful  and 
grand  will  hardly  give  utterance  to  an  exclama- 
tion at  first.  After  a  little,  he  will  give  expres- 
sions of  his  admiration  in  subdued  tones,  while 
his  thoughts  turn  toward  the  Maker  of  this  mar- 
velous scene.  At  his  feet  is  the  city,  lying  on 
both  sides  of  the  silvery  Willamette,  with  its  sev- 
eral bridges,  and  with  its  shipping  from  all  na- 
tions. A  few  miles  to  the  north  is  the  Columbia 
and  Wappatoo  Island,  just  beyond  which,  and 
in  full  view,  is  Vancouver,  in  the  State  of  Wash- 
ington. 

Lift  your  eyes  above  the  city  and  the  wooded 
fields  beyond,  and  look  to  the  east.  Already  you 
have  made  the  discovery,  and  have  wondered  at 
so  beautiful  and  white  a  cloud ;  but  it  is  not  a 
cloud,  though  like  one  in  appearance,  as  it  stands 
against  the  clear  blue  sky  sixty  miles  away.  It 
is  Mount  Hood,  its  snow-covered  sides  and  sum- 
mit glistening  in  the  golden  sunshine,  the  emblem 


West  of  the  Cascades.  55 

of  eternal  ruggedness  and  strength.  In  a  few 
spots  its  rocky  ribs  are  so  steep  that  snow  refuses 
to  cover  them,  and  these  tell  us  of  the  mighty 
upheavals  of  ages  past,  when  this  Pillar  of  Her- 
cules was  lifted  up.  But  what  is  that  symmet- 
rical pyramid  of  purity  and  glory  which  pierces 
the  blue  ether  far  to  the  north?  It  is  not  so 
rugged  as  Hood,  nor  quite  so  large,  but  if  the 
curved  line  be  the  line  of  beauty,  this  mountain 
is  unsurpassed  in  this  quality.  No  wonder  it  is 
listed  with  the  saints,  and  that  we  are  inclined 
to  speak  its  name  with  bated  breath  as  we  look 
upon  Saint  Helen's  in  her  snowy  glory,  glisten- 
ing in  sunshine,  the  symbol  of  purity  and  beauty. 
Three  other,  and  more  distant,  snow-capped 
peaks  greet  our  vision.  These  silvery  pinnacles 
in  their  landscape  setting,  with  the  combination 
of  water,  land,  city,  and  forest,  all  aglow  in  the 
summer  glimmer,  compel  our  admiration  and 
thrill  us  with  delight. 

If  anywhere  on  this  wonderful  and  beautiful 
earth  God  has  placed  a  more  splendid  vision  we 
do  not  know  where  to  find  it.     Possibly  it  is 


56  Blazing  the  Way. 

among  the  Alps.  It  may  be  among  the  Hima- 
layas. It  is  possible  this  view  is  surpassed  some- 
where in  our  own  great  land, — we  do  not  know ; 
but  we  are  satisfied  to  think  of  the  view  from 
Portland  Heights  as  at  least  approaching  per- 
fection ;  for  it  reminds  us  of  what  we  are  led  to 
expect  in  the  heavenlies  of  the  beyond. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Habitat  of  the  Salmon. 

It  was  the  good  ship  Columbia,  of  Boston, 
with  Captain  Gray,  which  first  crossed  the  bar  at 
the  mouth  of  the  great  river  now  bearing  the 
name  of  the  vessel.  This  was  in  1792.  More 
than  a  century  later  another  vessel,  bearing  the 
same  name,  but  propelled  by  steam  power,  makes 
regular  trips  from  Portland  down  the  river  to  the 
ocean  and  far  to  the  south.  She  always  stops  at 
Astoria,  the  city  of  salmon,  just  inside  the  bar 
of  the  great  liver  of  the  West.  Wc  call  Astoria 
the  city  of  salmon  because  of  its  great  fishing  in- 
dustry. Once  it  was  noted  as  the  headquarters 
of  the  American  Fur  Company,  having  been  es- 
tablished as  such  in  181 1  by  the  agents  of  John 
Jacob  Astor,  of  New  York,  after  whom  the  place 
was  named. 

At  the  present  time  we  may  see  from  the  deck 
of  our  vessel  what  takes  place  about  four  o'clock 
57 


58  Blazing  the  Way. 

of  each  summer  day.  Here  are  hundreds  of 
small  boats  putting  out,  up  and  down  and  across 
the  river,  which  at  this  place  widens  out  into 
several  miles  of  comparatively  quiet  water,  seem- 
ing to  hesitate  before  mingling  with  the  brine  of 
the  Pacific.  The  fishermen  spread  their  nets 
wherever  they  think  the  salmon  are  running,  al- 
most covering  the  river  for  many  miles,  and 
they  toil  all  night,  but  usually  not  in  vain.  In  the 
early  morning  they  return,  bringing  their  heavy 
loads  to  the  canneries,  where  the  fish  are  re- 
iceived  and  cared  for,  and  whence  they  are 
shipped  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  It  will  be  of 
interest  to  visit  one  of  these  great  canning  houses, 
of  which  there  are  twenty-five  or  more  in  this 
growing  city. 

On  the  afternoon  of  July  24,  1901,  a  small 
party  from  the  steamship  Columbia  spent  a  little 
time  in  one  of  these  establishments.  Having  ob- 
tained permission  at  the  office,  we  are  now  privi- 
leged to  follow  the  salmon  from  the  water  to  the 
warehouse.  On  the  river  side  of  the  large 
wooden  building  is  a  low  dock,  planked  up  into 
a  mammoth  bin,  and  it  is  well  filled  with  fish  as 


The  Habitat  of  the  Salmon.  59 

they  were  brought  in  from  the  morning  catch. 
Here  are  tons  and  tons  of  fish,  varying  in  weight 
from  twenty  to  forty  pounds  each,  with  the  larger 
size  predommating.  Occasionally  there  is  a  fish 
of  extra  large  size,  which  will  tip  the  beam  at 
seventy  or  even  at  eighty  pounds.  We  take  a 
hasty  glance  about  us,  for  we  are  in  danger  of 
being  bewildered  in  the  slimy  confusion.  Here 
are  from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  men,  the 
majority  of  whom  are  Chinamen,  working  as  if 
life  depended  on  finishing  their  task  to-day. 
What  can  be  the  reason  for  this  extraordinary 
haste?  This  is  not  hard  to  discover,  for  these 
men  are  not  working  by  the  hour  or  day,  but  the 
work  and  wages  are  so  arranged  that  each  is  paid 
for  what  he  does  rather  than  for  the  time  he  con- 
sumes. But  this  is  not  the  only  reason  for  this 
great  rush  of  men  and  fish  and  machinery.  The 
patch  for  the  past  few  days  has  been  the  largest 
known  for  many  years,  and  eight  hundred  tons, 
or  1,600,000  pounds  of  salmon  have  been  brought 
to  the  canning  houses  of  Astoria  during  the  past 
forty-eight  hours,  and  every  vat  and  cold  storage 
is  full  to  runnmg  over.    Fish  and  the  odor  of  fish 


6o  Blazing  the  Way. 

are  everywhere.  The  salmon  exported  by  As- 
toria during  the  present  year  will  bring  more 
than  $2,000,000. 

Watch  the  work  about  you ;  sec  those  great 
fish  lifted  from  the  bin.  The  first  act  is  to  cut 
off  the  head,  and  the  next  removes  the  entrails. 
The  heads  drop  into  a  box  by  themselves,  and 
afterwards  are  joined  by  the  fins  and  tails,  and 
then  are  largely  converted  into  oil.  Yonder  large 
warehouse  has  hundreds  of  barrels  of  fish-oil 
awaiting  shipment  to  those  parts  of  the  world 
where  it  is  needed  for  lubricating  purposes.  The 
body  of  the  fish  is  now  passed  on  to  the  next  man 
cr  set  of  men.  Each  has  his  own  particular  or 
individual  work  to  perform.  The  man  who  does 
the  decapitating  does  nothing  else,  and  he  cer- 
tainly is  responsible  for  cutting  off  more  heads 
than  ever  fell  from  the  ax  of  a  headsman.  Now 
the  fish  has  lost  his  head,  fins,  and  tail.  His 
scales  slide  off  quicker  than  a  lady  slips  off  her 
gloves.  Next,  after  being  thoroughly  washed, 
it  is  cut  into  a  dozen  or  more  pieces  by  a  single 
pull  of  a  lever.  Another  set  of  hands  press  these 
fish-steaks  into  tin  cans  of  uniform  size  until 


The  Habitat  of  the  Salmon.  6l 

they  are  as  full  as  an  egg  with  meat.  These  are 
rapidly  passed  on  to  the  next  men  where  the  cov- 
ers are  clapped  on,  after  which  a  machine  does 
the  necessary  soldering.  They  are  then  placed 
in  wooden  iiames,  several  dozen  together,  and 
all  are  dipped  into  boiling  water  and  thoroughly 
cooked.  By  a  single  lift  of  the  pulley  they  are 
passed  to  where  each  can  is  carefully  tested  to 
make  sure  it  is  perfect.  A  drop  of  molten  solder 
is  placed  over  the  little  vent-hole  of  each,  and 
then,  by  another  plunge,  all  are  washed,  machin- 
eiy  doing  the  work,  and  finally  they  are  labeled, 
boxed,  and  stored  for  shipment.  Is  it  a  cleanly 
process,  do  you  ask  ?  Yes,  as  much  so  as  is  pos- 
sible in  handling  fish  in  such  great  quantities,  and 
}  et  we  venture  you  will  not  be  hungry  for  salmon 
for  several  hours  after  spending  an  hour  in  the 
cannery. 

Are  salmon  always  caught  by  nets  from 
boats  ?  No,  mdeed  ;  there  are  many  ways  of  cap- 
turing this  fish.  One  of  the  original  methods 
practiced  by  the  natives  was  by  the  use  of  the 
spear,  though  he  was  not  limited  to  this  means, 
and  at  times  resorted  to  several  other  devices. 


62  Blazing  the  Way. 

In  order  to  get  a  correct  idea  of  the  various 
modes  of  catching  salmon  we  must  learn  its  hab- 
its of  life,  just  as  we  would  study  the  habits  and 
dispositions  of  men  in  order  to  capture  and  lead 
them  out  of  their  former  ways.  The  salmon  be- 
gins life  as  near  the  headwaters  of  the  streams 
as  it  is  possible  for  the  parent  fish  to  swim, 
where  the  eggs  are  deposited  in  the  light  gravel 
bottoms.  Wlien  the  young  fry  are  about  a  year 
old  they  begin  their  long  journey  to  the  ocean, 
which  they  enter,  and  then  begin  their  adult  life 
in  the  salt  water.  But  little  is  known  of  their 
manner  of  life  during  this  salt-water  period  ex- 
cept that  the\  grow  with  great  rapidity  and  be- 
come very  fat,  to  return  in  this  condition  to  the 
same  fresh  water  from  which  they  came.  On 
arriving  at  tiie  mouth  of  their  native  river,  which 
occurs  in  the  spring  or  summer,  as  large  fish, 
they  now  are  impelled  by  instinct  to  seek  its  head- 
waters, where  they  in  turn  will  propagate  their 
young  on  the  spawning  grounds  from  which  they 
came  a  few  \cars  before.  Male  and  female  make 
this  journey  together,  which,  in  some  instances, 
is  many  hundreds  of  miles.     They  swim  about 


The  Habitat  of  the  Salmon.  63 

twenty-five  or  tliirty  miles  a  day  as  a  rule, 
though  when  unimpeded  by  falls  or  rapids,  they 
will  make  upwards  of  one  hundred  miles  in  a 
single  day.  They  will  swim  up  violent  rapids  and 
cascades  with  wonderful  facility,  and  it  is  known 
that,  under  favorable  conditions,  when  there  is  a 
sufficient  volume  of  water,  they  will  ascend 
abrupt  falls  cf  from  twelve  to  fourteen  feet  in 
height.  In  case  they  come  to  falls  which  they 
can  not  ascend,  they  do  not  easily  give  up,  but 
will  keep  on  trying  for  a  long  time,  and  often 
they  die  in  great  numbers  before  giving  up. 
Sometimes  the  river  below  the  falls  will  be  lit- 
erally alive  with  fish.  In  the  waters  of  the  Co- 
lumbia and  Snake  countless  thousands  of  them 
make  their  way  above  rapids  and  cascades  far 
into  the  interior  of  the  State  of  Idaho. 

Salmon  City,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the 
State,  is  named  for  the  stream  on  which  it  stands, 
and  which,  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  abounds 
with  this  fish,  which  thus  travel  nearly  or  quite  a 
thousand  miles  to  find  a  place  where,  in  response 
to  their  imperious  instinct,  they  may  spawn. 
Early  settlers  and  the  Indians  tell  of  streams  from 


64  Blazing  the  Way. 

ten   to  twenty   feet  in   width  which  they  have 
known  to  be  so  crowded  with  salmon  as  to  make 
fording  a  difficulty,  for  the  fish  would  so  com- 
pletely cover  the  bottom  of  the  stream  as  fully  to 
obscure  it.    All  this  seems  incredible  and  sounds 
"fishy"  to  those  who  are  strangers  to  the  facts, 
but  is  well  within  the  limits  of  what  is  well  known 
to  be  true.     Lest  the  reader  think  me  as  either 
deceived,  or  r.s  attempting  to  deceive,  in  this  mat- 
ter, I  will  quote  briefly  from  a  work  by  Mr.  J.  K. 
Lord,    entitled    "The    Naturalist   in    Vancouver 
Island  and  British  Columbia."  He  says:  "Salmon 
ascend  the  Columbia,  the  Frazier,  and  other  riv- 
ers, in  prodigious  numbers  at  the  spawning  sea- 
son, and  proceed  hundreds  of  miles,  and  even  in 
the  Columbia  a  thousand  miles  from  the  sea  mto 
every  rivulet,  filling  even  pools  on  the  prairies 
and  flats  left  by  the  receding  floods."     He  tells 
of  a  personal  experience  as  follows :    "About  a 
mile  from  my  camp  was  a  large,  pebbly  ground, 
through  which  a  shallow  stream  found  its  way 
into  the  larger  river.    Though  barely  of  sufficient 
depth  to  cover  an  ordinary-sized  salmon,  yet  I 
have  seen  that  stream  so  filled  that  fish  pushed 


The  Habitat  of  the  Salmon.  65 

one  another  out  of  the  water  high  and  dry  on 
the  pebbles  ;  with  one's  hands  only,  or  more  easily 
by  employing  a  gafif,  or  crooked  stick,  tons  of 
salmon  could  have  been  procured  by  the  simple 
process  of  hooking  them  out."  Mr.  Lord  be- 
lieves that  few,  if  any,  of  these  fish  ever  reach 
the  sea  again. 

In  making  the  annual  ascent  of  the  river  from 
the  ocean  to  the  source,  the  fish  seek  to  avoid  the 
swift  w^ater  or  current  of  the  stream,  and  ac- 
cordingly they  swim  close  to  the  shore.  This 
fact  is  taken  advantage  of  in  setting  wheels  with 
which  to  catch  them,  and  great  numbers  are 
caught  by  this  means.  Hundreds  of  these  wheels 
are  to  be  seen  along  the  Columbia.  In  rigging  a 
wheel  the  fir^^t  thing  to  do  is  to  select  a  spot 
where  the  fish  keep  close  to  the  shore  to  avoid 
the  swift  water,  and  then  to  build  a  lead,  or  wall 
of  piles  or  stakes,  extending  down  and  out  into 
the  stream  at  an  angle  of  about  forty  or  fifty 
degrees.  This  lead  is  planked  or  screened  so  as 
to  make  it  nearly  or  quite  fish-tight  for  the  larger 
fish.  At  an  opening  in  the  lead  near  the  shore 
a  paddle-wheel  is  so  set  as  to  close  the  passage 
5 


66  Blazing  the  Way. 

as  nearly  as  possible.  The  paddles,  or  arms  of 
this  wheel,  are  a  framework  covered  with  wire 
netting,  quite  similar  to  that  used  in  chicken 
parks.  This  fits  loosely  on  the  frame  so  that 
each  paddle  assumes  the  shape  of  the  bowl  of  a 
scoop-shovel.  Across  the  end  of  each  is  a  board 
about  a  foot  in  width,  against  which  the  water 
strikes  and  forces  the  wheel  to  revolve.  Of 
course  these  wire-jcovered  arms  come  together  at 
the  axle,  which  is  so  built  up  between  them  as 
to  give  a  slant  toward  the  outer  edge  of  the  wheel, 
at  which  point  of  the  hub  is  placed  a  large  tub 
oi  vat,  into  which  the  fish  will  drop  when  caught. 
Remember,  the  fish  are  swimming  up  stream,  and 
many  of  them  are  near  the  shore,  and  come  within 
the  arm  or  lead  which  has  been  built  out  from 
the  wheel.  That  big  forty  pounder  butts  his  nose 
against  the  piling,  or  side  of  the  lead,  and  nat- 
urally turns  in  the  direction  of  least  resistance, 
which  is  toward  the  wheel,  and  follows  up  the 
lead  until  he  finds  himself  in  the  swift  water 
just  below  the  fatal  wheel.  He  puts  forth  a  little 
more  energy,  and  soon  comes  to  a  break  in  the 
lead  which  he  enters,  and  instantly  finds  himself 


The  Habitat  of  the  Salmon.  67 

lifted  bodily  out  of  his  native  element  by  a  twelve 
foot  v^^ire  spoon,  and  he  begins  to  Hop  for  free- 
dom, and  before  the  wheel  has  made  another 
quarter  revolution  he  is  with  his  companions  in 
a  large  box  without  water. 

One  July  afternoon  I  was  waiting  for  a  train 
at  a  small  station  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Co- 
lumbia, and,  there  being  ample  time  to  explore 
the  surroundings,  I  set  forth  to  find  a  fish-wheel 
in  operation.  After  walking  for  nearly  a  mile  I 
came  to  a  poorly  rigged  wheel,  which  was  catch- 
ing but  few  fish.  One  must  be  well  equipped  if 
he  would  catch  either  fish  or  men.  1  fell  to  talk- 
ing with  the  sleepy  attendant,  and  he  informed 
mc  that  over  against  the  large  islantl  a  half  mile 
distant,  was  one  of  the  best  wheels  on  the  river, 
and  if  I  wished  to  see  fish  caught  1  had  better 
get  across.  Fortunately  I  found  a  man  with  a 
small  boat  who  presently  put  me  over  to  the 
island.  On  walking  down  the  river  bank  accord- 
ing to  directions,  I  soon  came  to  a  neat  cottage 
with  other  buildings  near  at  hand,  while  not  far 
away  was  a  very  large  and  fully  equipped  wheel 
in  active  operation.     There  was  not  a  person  to 


68  Blazing  the  Way. 

be  seen  about  the  house  or  wheel,  and  I  surmised, 
and  afterwards  learned,  that  the  people  were  all 
asleep.  Fishing  appears  to  be  drowsy  work, 
sometimes,  whether  it  be  on  the  river  or  in  the 
pulpit. 

I  was  at  perfect  liberty  to  look  about  and  ex- 
amine the  wlicel  and  its  fixtures,  or  at  least  I  took 
that  liberty,  there  being  no  one  present  to  re- 
strain me.  The  bin  into  which  the  fish  fell  as 
they  were  lifted  from  the  water  was  a  large  vat 
about  fourteen  feet  square,  and  fully  as  deep.  It 
was  planked  over  like  a  huge  well,  and  had  a 
windlass  in  the  center  of  the  covering  not  unlike 
an  ordinary  well-curb.  I  could  stand  on  the 
plank  by  the  edge  of  the  wheel  and  look  down 
into  its  very  center,  and  into  the  surging  water 
below.  See  that  fish  in  the  paddle  !  Watch  him  ! 
Now  he  falls  to  the  hub  of  the  wheel  in  obedi- 
ence to  the  law  of  gravitation,  against  which  he 
is  now  powerless  so  far  as  escape  is  concerned — 
for  he  is  out  of  his  natural  element — and  after  a 
few  somersaults  in  the  air  he  is  flopping  with  his 
fellows  who  have  preceded  him  where  there  is  a 
great  scarcity  of  water.     Sometimes  there  are 


The  Habitat  of  the  Salmon.  69 

two  or  three  caught  at  once,  and  then  there  may 
be  several  revolutions  of  the  wheel  before  an- 
other white  side  is  turned  up.  For  ;i  half  hour  I 
watched  this  interesting  and  almost  fascinating 
process,  and  saw  many  fish  lifted  from  the  water 
and  added  10  the  already  large  number  which  I 
knew  was  beneath  me  in  the  bin. 

After  a  while  two  men  came  from  the  house, 
and  they  soon  relieved  my  curiosity  by  uncover- 
ing the  vat  where  the  fish  were  awaiting  atten- 
tion. No  one  could  tell  by  looking  how  deep  the 
fish  were  lying  on  the  bottom  of  the  vat,  but  it 
was  evident  there  were  many  hundred  of  them. 
Upon  inquiry  I  learned  that  those  now  in  the  vat 
had  all  been  caught  during  the  preceding  eleven 
hours.  The  men  were  now  getting  ready  to  dis- 
pose of  the  catch,  as  was  their  custom  to  do  twice 
during  eacn  twenty-four  hours.  They  had  on 
long  rubber  boots,  and  each  was  armed  with  a 
short  club.  Each  also  had  a  bundle  of  heavy 
cords  about  three  feet  in  length.  After  lifting  a 
few  of  the  planks  which  covered  the  vat  they  both 
went  below  by  means  of  a  ladder,  and  with  the 
clubs  killed  all  the  live  fish  by  strikmg  them  on 


^0  Blazing  the  Way. 

the  head  so  as  not  to  be  interrupted  in  their 
work.  As  often  as  a  fish  dropped  into  the  vat  it 
was  dispatched  by  a  blow  from  the  club.  By  the 
aid  of  a  long^  needle,  each  fish  was  pierced  from 
eye  to  eye  and  strung  on  a  cord  jusL  as  children 
string  buttons,  until  about  three  hundred  pounds 
were  strung  together.  After  a  score  of  strings 
were  thus  used,  one  of  the  men  climbed  out,  and 
by  the  aid  of  a  windlass  hoisted  the  fish  up  to 
the  platform.  Then  five  of  these  strings  were 
tied  together  by  a  still  heavier  cord  or  rope,  and 
this  larger  string  of  fish,  which  would  weight 
about  fifteen  hundred  pounds,  was  then  made  fast 
to  a  small,  air-tight  barrel,  and  was  at  once 
shoved  off  the  slanting  wharf  into  the  river, 
where  soon  nothing  but  the  keg  was  to  be  seen 
floating  with  the  current.  This  work  went  on 
till  all  were  afloat,  and  I  was  assured  that  this 
catch  of  five  tons  was  nothing  unusual  for  a  half 
day's  work. 

What  became  of  the  barrels  and  fish  thus 
carelessly  turned  adrift  in  the  river?  About  three 
miles  further  down  was  a  cannery,  and  in  con- 
nection with  it  was  a  small  steam  vacht  whose 


The  Habitat  of  the  Salmon.  7^ 

manager  made  it  his  business  to  be  constantly  on 
the  watch,  and  to  pick  up  and  tow  to  the  can- 
nery all  barrels  with  fish  attached  which  were 
assigned  to  this  particular  establishment.  Of 
course  each  barrel  bore  the  mark  of  the  wheel 
from  which  it  came,  and,  after  weighing  the  fish, 
the  owner  was  given  credit  for  the  amount  thus 
delivered  by  this  easy  and  inexpensive  water 
transportation. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
Early   Religious  Workers. 

While  on  the  Lower  Columbia  let  us  make 
inquiry  concerning  the  religious  and  social  con- 
ditions of  this  country;  for  this  is  historic 
ground.  It  was  in  the  year  1805  that  Lewis  and 
Clark  passed  down  the  river  to  its  mouth.  They 
were  the  first  white  men  who  saw  the  Willamette 
River  where  it  empties  into  the  Columbia  at  a 
point  a  few  miles  below  where  the  city  of  Port- 
land now  stands.  On  the  Washington  side  of 
the  Columbia,  nearly  opposite  this  point,  is  the 
present  and  comparatively  old  city  of  Vancouver, 
where  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  fully 
equipped  military  posts  of  the  government. 

Many  yeais  ago,  before  he  became  either  a 
tanner  or  a  commander  of  armies.  General  U.  S. 
Grant  was  stationed  at  this  then  far-off  "Fort 
Vancouver."  Many  years  before,  however,  this 
had  been  a  place  of  great  prominence,  as  it  was 
72 


Early  Religious  Workers.  73 

the  most  wcsternly  trading  station  and  fort  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Fur  Company,  and  for  a  quar- 
ter of  a  centuiy  was  in  charge  of  the  great  and 
good  Dr.  John  McLaughhn,  a  sturdy  Scotch- 
man, who,  out  of  the  kindness  of  his  nature,  ren- 
dered most  valuable  service  to  the  early  settlers 
and  missionaries.  Since  1812  the  British  had 
claimed  everything  north  of  the  Columbia,  and 
this  frontier  post  was  designed,  among  other 
things,  to  make  good  this  claim,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  serve  as  a  point  from  which  to  throw  out 
the  lines  for  still  larger  ownership  to  lands  lying 
to  the  south.  Had  the  missionaries  but  staid 
away,  no  doubt  these  claims  would  have  held 
good  with  the  statesmen  at  the  National  Capital, 
who,  knowing  nothing  of  this  remote  section, 
were  disposed  to  place  far  too  trivial  a  value  upon 
it.  But  the  missionaries  came,  and  with  them 
American  patriotism  and  Christian  civilization. 

Jason  Lee  and  his  associates  from  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  were  the  first  to  arrive. 
They  came  in  1834,  and  at  once  began  work  in 
the  Willamette  Valley.  Whitman  and  Spaulding 
and  their  young  wives  came  two  years  later,  and 


74  Blazing  the  Way. 

located  east  of  the  Cascades.  These  were  re- 
enforced  from  time  to  time  by  other  missionaries 
and  settlers,  nearly  all  of  whom  were  induced  to 
settle  in  this  far-off  country  at  the  earnest  solici- 
tation of  these  men  who  had  preceded  them. 
Lee  made  a  trip  to  the  far  East  in  the  interest  of 
this  work  and  country  before  the  more  famed 
visit  of  Whitman  was  thought  of,  and  no  doubt 
should  share  the  honor  with  the  latter  of  "saving 
Oregon"  to  the  Union.  Which  is  entitled  to  the 
greater  honor  will  doubtless  remain  an  unsettled 
question ;  but  that  each  is  deserving  of  great 
honor  is  certainly  true,  and  that  the  country  was 
saved  to  the  Union  by  the  early  missionaries  is 
beyond  doubt.  Many  of  these  early  comers  sailed 
around  Cape  Horn,  and  others  toiled  slowly 
across  the  continent  by  most  weary  and  danger- 
ous stages.  Thus  was  developed  a  Christian  so- 
ciety and  civilization  in  the  "Oregon  Country," 
the  effects  of  which  are  still  apparent  in  all  the 
regions  of  .he  Columbia  and  its  watershed. 

In  1853  the  work  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
missions  had  grown  sufficiently  to  make  neces- 
sary the  organization  of  an  Annual  Conference, 


Early  Religious  Workers.  75 

which  was  done  at  that  time  by  Bishop  Ames. 
A  year  later  Bishop  Matthew  Simpson  visited  the 
Pacific  Coast  ?.nd  held  the  first  regular  session  of 
the  Oregon  Conference.  An  account  of  this 
memorable  occasion  and  visit  of  the  bishop  has 
been  given  the  writer  from  the  lips  of  an  hon- 
ored man  and  woman  in  whose  home  the  bishop 
was  a  guest  at  that  time.  It  was  my  privilege  to 
meet  this  interesting  father  and  mother  of  Ore- 
gon Methodism  after  they  had  been  married  sixty 
years,  at  which  time  I  was  a  guest  in  their  home. 
They  were  then  known,  as  was  true  during  the 
latter  part  of  their  lives,  as  "Uncle  George"  and 
"Aunt  Kitty"  Belknap.  When  it  was  my  privi- 
lege to  meet  them  first  they  were  living  about 
forty  miles  south  of  Spokane,  in  Eastern  Wash- 
ington. On  learning  that  they  had  formerly  re- 
sided in  the  AVillamette  Valley,  I  plied  them  with 
questions  and  found  them  well  informed  in  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  early  settlements  of  the 
country.  Knowing  that  the  Rev.  Louis  Albert 
Banks  came  from  their  section  of  Oregon,  I 
asked  if  they  knew  him.  "Why,  yes,  I  was  his 
Sunday-school  teacher,"  said  Aunt  Kitty.     "He 


76  Blazing  the  Way. 

was  a  little  tow-Keaded  boy,  and  hardly  worth 
raising,  but  now  he  seems  to  show  the  effect  of 
his  early  instruction." 

No  wonder  this  aged  couple  delighted  to  tell 
cf  the  early  days,  and  of  the  time  when  Bishop 
Simpson  was  entertained  in  their  home!     From 
them  I  gleaned  the  account  of  that  Conference 
and  its  stirring  scenes.    The  gathering  was  held 
at  a  place  about  one  hundred  miles  south  of  Port- 
land, known  then,  as  now,  as  Belknap  Settlement. 
This  was  at  that  time  four  days'  journey  from 
Portland,  though  the  bishop  made  it  in  a  little 
less  time  by  traveling  a  part  of  the  distance  at 
night.    All  the  ministers  of  the  entire  Northwest 
were  expected  to  gather  here  for  their  annual 
feast  of  experiences.    The  meeting  had  been  long 
anticipated,  and  the  preparations  were  as  elabo- 
rate as  the  country  and  times  could  afford.  Every- 
thing was  new.    Portland  was  not  a  city,  but  a 
small  log  settlement  in  the  wilderness.    The  larg- 
est house  in  the  vicinity  of  the  seat  of  Confer- 
ence was  a  four-room  dwelling,  four  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  log  schoolhouse  where  the  gath- 
ering would  convene,  and  this  was  Ihe  home  of 


Early  Religious  Workers.  77 

the  leading  citizen,  George  Belknap.  There  was 
but  one  team  of  horses  in  the  settlement,  and 
only  one  spring-wagon,  and  George  Belknap  was 
the  fortunate  possessor  of  both.  How  pre-emi- 
nently fitting  that  he  and  his  good  wife  should 
be  the  host  and  hostess  of  the  bishop  while  there ! 
He  might  well  take  pride  in  telling  of  their  expe- 
riences after  the  lapse  of  forty  years. 

We  see  the  lonely  pioneer  preachers  and  their 
friends  gathering  from  all  quarters  a  few  days 
before  the  opening  session  of  the  great  Confer- 
ence. There  were  giants  in  the  Oregon  Confer- 
ence in  those  days.  Those  were  the  men  who 
dared  great  things,  and  who  possessed  the  ability 
to  make  bricks  almost  without  straw.  They  laid 
foundations  upon  which  all  future  ages  will  build, 
and  time  will  i  eveal  the  fact  that  the  basal  struc- 
ture was  well  laid.  This  Conference  which 
theoretically  covered  the  entire  Northwest,  and 
was  composed  of  men  who  had  braved  the  perils 
of  a  half-world  journey  to  preach  the  Gospel  in 
a  new  land,  was  now  to  convene  after  a  year  of 
separation  and  hard  toil.  They  greet  each  other 
with   characteristic    warmth   and   fervor,    after 


78  Blazing  the  Way. 

which  their  first  inquiry  is  concerning  the  bishop 
whom  they  are  all  anxious  to  meet.  His  fame  as 
a  great  preacher  and  good  man  is  well  known, 
even  in  this  i emote  frontier  Conference.  "Has 
he  been  heard  from  ?  Has  he  yet  arrived  ?  Where 
can  he  be  ?"  Such  are  their  inquiries  concerning 
their  illustrious  president,  whose  visit  they  have 
been  so  long  and  anxiously  anticipating.  It  is 
known  that  he  has  been  for  some  weeks  in  Cali- 
fornia, and  that  he  was  to  have  come  by  steamer 
to  Portland,  then  up  the  Willamette  to  Salem, 
then  by  team  to  the  seat  of  Conference.  "Is 
it  possible  he  has  been  lost  at  sea?"  How  the 
questions  are  suggested  by  the  anxious  souls ! 

They  have  waited  long  for  such  an  event  as 
the  present.  The  session  is  to  open  on  Thursday 
morning,  March  i6th.  The  bishop  has  not  yet 
arrived ;  neither  has  word  been  received  from 
him.  With  sad  hearts  the  brethren  elect  the  Rev. 
Thos.  H.  Pearne,  who  is  a  presiding  elder,  to  act 
as  presiding  officer  until  the  arrival  of  the  bishop, 
if  he  shall  ccme  at  all.  Meantime  the  bishop, 
having  been  celayed  by  a  storm  and  a  belated  ves- 
sel, is  on  a  slow-going  boat,  fast  on  a  sand-bar 


Early  Religious  Workers.  79 

in  the  Willamette,  not  far  from  Oregon  City,  but 
with  face  and  heart  turned  toward  the  gathering 
in  the  log  schoolhouse  at  Belknap  Settlement. 
The  Conference  goes  on  with  its  business  and 
religious  services.  The  absence  of  a  bishop  can 
never  stop  a  Methodist  Conference.  Methodism 
has  provisions  for  every  emergency.  At  this 
Conference,  however,  there  is  unusual  anxiety 
for  the  safety  of  the  man  who  was  to  do  so  much 
for  them,  and  who  has  journeyed  so  far  for  this 
purpose.  The  first  day  ends  with  no  word  from 
the  missing  man.  Friday  follows  with  no  news. 
Saturday  is  like  those  before  it  in  this  all-impor- 
tant particular.  Sunday  morning  comes  with  all 
its  promise  and  hope,  and  still  no  word  comes  to 
cheer  this  hopeful  and  praying  company  of  itin- 
erants. This  is  the  great  day  of  the  feast,  and 
the  Conference  love-feast  begins  at  nine  o'clock. 
The  schoolhouse  in  the  wilderness,  with  its  tem- 
porary addition,  a  "lean-to,"  which  had  been 
built  for  this  occasion,  is  filled  to  its  utmost.  In 
the  absence  of  the  bishop  it  has  been  decided  that 
Thos.  H.  Pearne  shall  preach  the  morning  ser- 
mon.   Suppose  the  bishop  should  come  in  during 


8o  Blazing  the  Way. 

the  service;  would  any  one  know  him?  He  is  a 
stranger  to  all  present,  but  there  is  not  one  in 
all  that  company  but  thinks  he  would  know  him 
if  he  should  appear,  they  have  thought  so  much 
about  him  of  late.  As  the  sermon  is  drawing  to  a 
iclose  a  stranger  quietly  enters,  and  a  gentleman 
near  the  door  rises  and  gives  him  a  seat.  Thos.  H. 
Pearne  [ceases  to  preach,  and,  amid  breathless 
silence  and  an  excitement  so  intense  as  to  sway 
every  person  present,  utters  these  words:  "If  the 
stranger  who  just  came  in  is  Bishop  Simpson,  let 
him  advance  to  the  front."  The  stranger,  who 
had  traveled  all  night  over  corduroy  roads  and 
stump-roots  and  through  mud  of  uncertain  and 
varying  depth,  who  had  changed  from  wagon  to 
saddle,  and  had  made  the  last  twenty  miles  of  his 
long  and  most  trying  journey  on  horseback,  ad- 
vances to  the  front  amid  shouts  and  hallelujahs 
from  all  sides.  My  informants,  who  were  pres- 
ent at  this  scene,  assure  me  that  it  was  beyond 
description.  Finally,  however,  order  was  re- 
stored, for  all  would  honor  the  bishop  and  wait 
on  his  words.  He  tells  of  his  endeavors  to  meet 
them  earlier,  and  makes  reference  to  his  expe- 


Early  Religious  Workers.  8l 

riences  at  sea,  and  then,  to  illustrate  his  feelings 
when  in  the  gieatest  peril,  he  quotes  from  Henry 
Kirke  White's  hymn : 

"  Once  on  the  raging  seas  I  rode, 

The  storm  was  loud,  the  night  was  dark, 
The  ocean  yawned,  and  rudely  blowed 

The  \vind  that  tossed  my  foundering  bark. 

Deep  horror  then  my  vitals  froze  ; 

Death-struck,  I  ceased  the  tide  to  stem ; 
When  suddenly  a  star  arose. 

It  was  the  Star  of  Bethlehem. 

It  was  my  guide,  my  light,  my  all. 
It  bade  my  dark  forebodings  cease  ; 

And,  through  the  storm  and  danger's  thrall, 
It  led  me  to  the  port  of  peace. 

Now  safely  moored,  my  perils  o'er, 

I  '11  sing,  first  in  night's  diadem, 
Forever  and  for  evermore. 

The  Star,  the  Star  of  Bethlehem." 

This  was  more  than  the  pent-up  fires  of  that 
pioneer  congregation  could  stand.  Is  it  any  won- 
der they  shouted  ?  Would  it  not  be  wonderful 
beyond  measure  if  they  had  not  shouted  ? 

The  late  Dr.  H.  K.  Hines  was  present  at  this 
Conference,  and  was  a  witness  of  this  remark- 
able scene,  and  has  written  as  follows  concern- 
ing it: 
6 


82  Blazing  the  Way. 

"Reader,  did  you  ever  attend  a  Conference 
love-feast  on  the  frontier,  where  common  suffer- 
ings and  deprivations  and  trials  had  molded  all 
hearts    into    one;    where    a    universal    poverty 
equalized  everything,  so  that  there  could  be  no 
classes  or  grades  of  appointment?     If  not,  we 
pity  you.    You  have  lost  the  sight  of  the  greenest 
spot  that  ever  blossomed  in  the  path  of  an  itin- 
erant.    The  love-feast  of  this  Conference  was 
rich  with  experience  and  history,  with  pathos  and 
unction,  all  finding  expression  in  word  and  song, 
in  tear  and  shout,  rendering  the  hour  indescrib- 
able.    At  its  close  the  president  of  the  Confer- 
ence preached  a  sermon  of  great  power,   and 
just  as  he  resumed  his  seat,  the  tall  form  of 
Bishop  Simpson  appeared  in  the  door,  and  Con- 
ference and  congregation  were  thrown   into  a 
whirl  of  excitement  as  they  welcomed  him  to  this 
lustic  sanctuary.     When  two  o'clock  came  the 
bishop  arose  in  that  humble  desk  to  preach,  and 

gave  out: 

•  When  I  survey  the  wondrous  cross 
On  which  the  Prince  of  Glory  died.' 

How  the   words   of  that  old   hymn   beat   with 
new  life !    And  his  prayer :  dews  of  heaven  could 


E^rly  Religious  Workers.  ^3 

not  distill  more  sweetly.  And  his  sermon:  who 
shall  describe  the  indescribable  or  speak  the  un- 
utterable ?" 

It  has  been  my  privilege  to  converse  with 
others  who  were  present  at  this  memorable  Con- 
ference, and  I  find  the  account  as  given  by 
George  and  Kitty  Belknap  to  be  abundantly  veri- 
fied. This  honored  and  elect  pair  of  God's  peo- 
ple, who  could  boast  of  sixty  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  among  their  de- 
scendants, were  permitted  to  return  to  the  scenes 
of  their  early  labors,  and,  surrounded  by  their 
children  and  children's  children,  they  were,  a  few 
years  ago,  gathered  to  their  fathers. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Among  Settler's  Cabins  and  Indian 
Tepees. 

Are  the  days  of  frontier  work  in  the 
Church  forever  gone?  To  a  great  extent,  no 
doubt,  they  are ;  but  there  are  still  sections  where 
the  circuit-rider  finds  life  and  methods  of  wor- 
ship almost  or  quite  as  primitive  as  it  is  possible 
to  conceive.  This  is  true  in  numerous  extensive 
portions  of  the  Northwest.  It  is  not  yet  a  decade 
since  the  attention  of  the  writer  was  called  to  a 
section  in  Northern  Idaho,  situated  between  the 
North  and  South  Forks  of  the  Clearwater,  known 
as  the  Weip[)e  Country. 

As  the  presiding  elder  of  a  district  whose 
bounds  included  this  region,  I  determined  to  visit 
it,  and  accordingly  set  out  on  horseback  to  make 
the  journey  of  about  sixty  miles.  It  was  a  beau- 
tiful day  in  August  when  I  began  this  ride  over 
mountains  and  through  forests  of  fir  and  pine,  on 
84 


Among  Settler's  Cabins  and  Indian  Tepees.     85 

a  road  which  I  had  never  before  traveled.  Where 
to  spend  the  night  of  this  first  day  was  a  prob- 
lem of  some  mterest,  though  of  no  special  con- 
cern ;  for  I  had  no  fear  but  a  place  would  be 
found,  though  it  might  be  in  the  open  air  under 
the  thick  boughs  of  a  tree.  In  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon  I  learned  of  an  educated  and  hospitable 
Indian,  a  minister  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
who  lived  about  a  dozen  miles  farther  on  the  way, 
and  it  was  possible  I  might  spend  the  night  at 
his  home.  The  road  led  me  across  a  portion  of 
the  Nez  Perces  Indian  reservation.  These  peo- 
ple were  numerous  in  this  section.  Since  1836 
the  Presbyterians  have  been  doing  mission  work 
among  them  with  gratifying  results,  and  several 
of  the  natives  have  entered  the  ministry  of  that 
Church,  and  become  useful  men  in  carrying  on 
the  work  among  their  fellows.  The  name  of  the 
minister  to  Avhose  home  I  was  directed  was  Wil- 
liam Wheeler,  a  man  of  ability  and  good  repute, 
and  a  thoroughbred  Indian.  He  gave  me  a  Chris- 
tian greeting  and  treated  me  well ;  but  owing  to 
the  severe  illness  of  his  wife  it  was  not  convenient 
to  keep  me  over  night  in  his  house,  which  was 


86  Blazing  the  Way. 

not  large ;  so,  by  his  permission,  I  made  a  bed  in 
bis  barn,  and,  being  well  wrapped  in  a  blanket,  I 
slept  soundly  in  the  hay-mow  till  early  morning, 
when  I  resumed  my  journey.  Before  the  stars 
had  entirely  faded  I  was  pursuing  my  way  down 
the  mountain  side  near  the  fording  place  and 
ferry  of  the  North  Fork.  What  a  glorious  morn- 
ing for  such  a  ride ! 

Before  the  sun  had  touched  the  Clearwater 
with  its  first  lays  I  was  waiting  for  the  ferry- 
man on  the  bank  of  the  river.  As  I  waited,  an 
Indian  girl,  of  possibly  eighteen  summers,  came 
to  the  opposite  bank  and  bathed  her  face  and 
hands  in  the  clear  cool  water,  and  by  her  close- 
ness to  nature  reminded  me  of  the  innocent  birds 
who  were  domg  the  same  thing.  As  she  was 
combing  out  her  long  black  hair  I  observed  the 
low  log  house  from  which  she  had  come,  and  con- 
cluded she  was  the  first  of  the  family  to  rise ;  but 
presently  the  smoke  appeared  at  the  opening  in 
the  top  of  the  tepee,  an  indication  that  her  mother 
was  preparing  breakfast.  Not  far  away  was  an 
Indian  church,  a  modest  structure  of  rough 
lumber,  worth  possibly  three  or  four  hundred  dol- 


Among  Settler's  Cabins  and  Indian  Tepees.     87 

lars,  built  to  seat  a  hundred  people.  William 
Wheeler  was  the  shepherd  of  the  dusky  and 
primitive  flock  which  is  accustomed  to  meet  and 
worship  here.  A  year  or  two  later  it  was  my 
privilege  to  accept  his  invitation  to  address  his 
people  in  this  house  of  prayer,  on  which  occasion 
he  was  my  interpreter.  Seven  or  eight  church 
buildings  of  like  character  have  been  built  on 
the  reservation,  and  the  native  ministers  are  do- 
ing good  work  among  their  people. 

Leaving  this  Indian  village,  my  way  led  up 
the  South  Fork  for  a  number  of  miles,  and  then 
up  a  mountain  road  for  ten  miles  farther.  Much 
of  the  way  was  through  solid  forest,  but  early  in 
the  afternoon  I  was  among  the  settlements  on 
the  high  table-lands,  where  the  settlers  were  mak- 
ing clearings  for  their  humble  homes.  It  had 
been  but  a  few  years  since  people  first  began  com- 
ing into  this  section,  and  nearly  all  had  arrived 
during  the  preceding  three  years.  I  had  pre- 
viously obtained  the  name  of  a  Methodist  family, 
a  product  of  missionary  toil  in  the  Willamette 
Valley  years  before,  which  had  settled  here,  and 
I  determined  to  go  there  for  the  night,  and  for 


88  Blazing  the  Way. 

aid  ill  the  work.  Although  I  followed  directions 
as  carefully  as  possible,  it  at  last  became  evident 
tliat  I  had  lost  my  way.  Having  wandered  for 
several  hours  through  the  beautiful  upland  pine 
forest  which  was  just  as  nature  had  made  it,  I 
continued  to  loam  about  in  quest  of  the  right 
place  until  it  v/as  quite  dark,  when  I  finally  came 
upon  a  clear'.ng  which  proved  to  be  a  part  of  the 
farm  I  was  looking  for. 

That  night  a  long-looked-for  service  was  held 
in  a  schoolhouse  a  mile  distant.  There  had  been 
no  public  religious  service  in  the  community  for 
many  months.  My  welcome  was  warm  and  genu- 
ine. The  people  were  glad  to  welcome  a  Gospel 
minister,  and  they  came  from  all  parts  of  the 
settlement,  some  driving  as  far  as  ten  miles  over 
rough  and  new  roads  and  returning  home  the 
same  night.  Of  course  there  were  some  in  this 
community,  as  is  true  always,  who  do  not  care 
for  the  Gospel  or  its  representatives,  and  who 
prefer  to  live  without  any  reminders  of  duty  or  of 
God ;  but  there  were  also  some  who  had  not  for- 
gotten the  old  home  Church  in  the  East,  and  its 
institutions,  and  their  early  surroundings  with 


Among  Settler's  Cabins  and  Indian  Tepees.     89 

Sabbath  inrtucnces  and  worship.  These  were 
glad  to  welcome  any  person  who  would  be  the 
means  of  their  recalling  the  past,  and  whose  com- 
ing was  a  prophecy  of  the  time  when  the  Church 
should  become  an  institution  amid  their  new  sur- 
roundings. My  visit  on  this  occasion  was  brief, 
and  only  two  services  were  held ;  but  the  follow- 
ing January  I  returned,  and  conducted  a  meeting 
for  ten  days,  and  organized  a  Church  with  twen- 
ty-three members. 

This  settlement  occupied  a  ridge  of  upland, 
heavily  timbered,  but  with  a  good  soil  and  favor- 
able conditions  for  successful  farming,  which 
was  about  twenty  miles  long  by  five  or  six  wide. 
Two  or  three  hundred  families,  or  their  repre- 
sentatives, weie  here,  making  homes  for  them- 
selves or  their  children  in  the  dense  forest  by 
clearing  and  burning  before  they  could  plow  the 
land  or  get  :i  crop.  They  had  to  build  their  own 
homes,  which  they  did  with  the  material  at  hand, 
of  which  there  was  great  abundance,  and  wher- 
ever there  n^as  a  clearing  there  might  be  seen  a 
log  house  and  a  barn  or  two  of  the  same  material. 
At  this  time  there  was  no  sawmill  within  forty 


90  Blazing  the  Way. 

miles  of  the  settlement,  nor  was  there  any  sawed 
lumber  in  the  entire  community,  except  the  very 
little  which  had  been  worked  out  by  hand  with 
a  whipsaw.  Floors  and  doors  were  made  of 
puncheons  or  split  logs  and  planks,  and  the  roofs 
were  built  of  shakes,  or  long  shingles  split  out  of 
pine  logs. 

In  matters  of  furniture  the  situation  was  in 
keeping  with  the  houses,  some  of  which  could  not 
boast  of  even  a  single  stove  of  any  sort,  the  cook- 
ing all  being  done  over  the  open  fire  in  the  great 
fireplace,  while,  in  other  cases,  there  might  be  a 
cook-stove,  and  a  few  of  the  more  pretentious 
houses  had  an  additional  stove  for  heating  pur- 
poses, though  nearly  all  depended  on  the  large 
open  fireplace.  These  fireplaces  were  built  of 
stone  or  mud,  or  of  a  mixture  of  the  two,  and 
were  fashioned  after  a  very  elaborate  pattern,  and 
possessed  a  tremendous  capacity  for  fuel,  heat, 
and  cheerfulness.  The  chimneys  were  very  large, 
and  were  built  of  rock  held  together  by  sticks 
and  dried  mud.  Nearly  all  the  furniture,  includ- 
ing tables,  chairs,  beds,  cupboards,  drawers,  etc., 
was  of  home  manufacture.    Many  of  the  houses 


Among  Settler's  Cabins  and  Indian  Tepees.     9^ 

had  but  one  or  two  rooms,  and  a  house  with  four 
rooms  was  large  and  extravagant.  However,  the 
hospitaUty  •>£  the  people  was  not  dependent  upon 
the  size  of  the  house.  At  the  close  of  each  serv- 
ice it  seemed  to  me  as  though  each  head  of  a 
family  was  inviting  all  others  to  go  home  with 
him.  No  person  could  possibly  accept  half  the 
invitations  he  would  receive.  At  times  I  became 
alarmed  for  my  own  quarters  when  I  would  hear 
my  host  asking  others  to  go  and  spend  the  night 
with  him ;  for  it  was  inconceivable  on  my  part 
where  the  people  could  be  provided  with  a  place 
in  which  to  sleep  if  they  should  accept  the  invi- 
tation. But  there  was  always  a  way  out  of  the 
difficulty,  for  the  people  appeared  not  to  be  afraid 
of  close  quarters  in  the  matter  of  eating  or  sleep- 
ing. At  night  both  sexes  would  frequently  oc- 
cupy the  same  room,  which  would  contain  sev- 
eral beds  or  shakedowns,  curtained  off  into  sep- 
arate apartments  by  light  calico  hangings  sus- 
pended from  wires  strung  across  the  room.  In 
case  there  were  not  beds  enough,  the  more  hardy 
persons  would  sleep  on  the  floor,  each  wrapped  in 
a  blanket  before  the  g^eat  fireplace. 


92  Blazing  the  Way. 

It  became  my  duty  and  privilege  to  visit  this 
section  several  times,  and  finally  to  dedicate,  for 
the  use  of  this  people,  the  best  log  church  build- 
ing I  have  ever  seen,  where  it  still  stands  as  a 
place  of  worship  for  these  hardy  settlers  and 
their  children.  A  railroad  has  been  built  within 
a  few  miles  of  this  section,  and  no  doubt  more 
modern  customs  and  comforts  are  being  intro- 
duced ;  but  It  is  my  opinion  that  no  greater  happi- 
ness or  more  generous  hospitality  will  ever  be 
known  than  I  found  on  the  occasion  of  my  early 
visits. 

On  my  tliird  visitation  to  this  people  several 
other  places  were  included  in  the  itinerary,  and 
four  or  five  weeks  were  spent  in  the  journey, 
which  was  n.lso  taken  on  horseback.  It  was  mid- 
summer, and  after  my  work  in  the  Weippe  settle- 
ment had  been  accomplished,  and  I  was  ready  to 
proceed  to  the  next  place,  one  of  the  men  kindly 
went  with  me  for  a  few  miles  to  make  sure  that  I 
was  started  in  the  right  direction  and  should  get 
on  the  right  ti  ail ;  for  I  was  to  follow  trails  in- 
stead of  wagon-roads.  My  objective  point  was 
Grangeville,  some  fifty  miles  to  the  south,  across 


Among  Settler's  Cabins  and  Indian  Tepees.     93 

the  country,  and  over  mountains  and  through  val- 
leys by  trails  which  were  wholly  unknow'n  to  me, 
as  this  was  my  first  trip  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try. I  was  mformed  that  I  must  strike  the  old 
Lolo  Trail,  and  follow  it  across  the  stream  and 
canyon  of  that  name,  and  then  over  another  large 
divide,  and  across  the  Clearwater  at  the  Kamai 
ford,  and  then  up  to  the  table-lands  beyond.  My 
friend  accompanied  me  until  I  was  safely  on  the 
trail  desired,  when  we  bade  each  other  farewell, 
and  I  passed  on  to  the  south  over  this  well-worn 
path  made  tnirty  years  earlier  during  the  Pierce 
City  mining  excitement.  Millions  of  dollars 
worth  of  gold-dust  had  been  taken  over  this 
lonely  trail,  and  hundreds,  and  possibly  thou- 
sands, of  men  had  crossed  these  divides,  never 
to  see  home  or  kindred  again,  thus  giving  them- 
selves in  sacrifice  on  the  altar  of  mammon  in  re- 
sponse to  the  lust  for  gold. 

I  slowly  felt  my  way  down  the  steep  footpath 
into  the  Lolo  Canyon,  whose  sides  were  so  steep 
and  gloomy  with  rocks  and  trees  as  to  present 
the  appearance  of  approaching  night.  In  climb- 
ing the  opposite  side,  and  in  turning  an  abrupt 


94  Blazing  the  Way. 

point  I  suddenly  came  upon  a  company  of  Indian 
women  and  children,  all  well  mounted  and  lead- 
ing a  number  of  loaded  pack  animals,  probably 
on  their  way  to  Pierce  City  to  sell  their  loads  of 
produce.  Just  what  the  leading  young  squaw  re- 
marked to  her  companions  or  to  me  T  shall  never 
know,  but  that  it  was  something  very  uncompli- 
mentary concerning  me,  and  that  it  was  accom- 
panied with  a  hearty  laugh  of  ridicule,  I  have  no 
question.  She  and  hers  were  in  a  majority  this 
time,  and  the  "Boston  man"  was  alone,  and 
doubtless  he  was  as  ludicrous  in  her  eyes  as  she 
was  in  his,  v.'hich  is  saying  much ;  and  if  it  be 
true,  I  can  cheerfully  forgive  her  and  her  com- 
panions for  their  outbursts  of  laughter.  The  In- 
dian woman  knows  nothing  of  her  civilized  sis- 
ter's method  of  sitting  on  a  horse.  Sometimes 
two  or  three  occupy  the  same  beast  at  one  time, 
and  a  frequent  spectacle  is  that  of  a  squaw  astride 
a  horse,  with  one  or  two  pappooses  attached 
cither  to  her  or  to  the  animal. 

This  gauntlet  being  run  with  no  further  dam- 
age than  I  experienced  by  having  my  feelings 
ruffled,  I  went  on  with  no  special  adventures  un- 


Among  Settler's  Cabins  and  Indian  Tepees.     95 

til  I  reached  the  Clearwater,  or  the  Kooskooskee, 
the  stream  down  which  Lewis  and  Clark  traveled 
ninety  years  before.  The  broad  flats  about  this 
crossing  have  been  the  abodes  of  Indians  for  un- 
known generations.  They  were  living  here  in 
great  numbers  at  the  time  of  Lewis  and  Clark's 
visit,  though  their  homes  were  often  deserted  for 
many  weeks  at  a  time  during  the  hunting  season. 
In  the  warm  valley  was  their  winter  home,  and 
on  the  surrounding  hills  and  up  among  the  can- 
}ons  their  horses  found  pasture  during  the  entire 
year.  This  community  furnished  this  first  gov- 
ernmental expedition  with  many  horses  and  dogs, 
the  former  on  which  to  transport  their  supplies 
and  themselves,  and  the  latter  to  eat ;  for  this  was 
the  only  kind  of  meat  that  could  be  found  at 
that  season  of  the  year.  So  many  dogs  were 
eaten  by  the  Lewis  and  Clark  people  that  the 
Indians  gave  them  the  name  of  'dog-eaters." 
The  natives  living  here  to-day  are  the  children 
and  grandchildren  of  those  who  looked  with  as- 
tonishment for  the  first  time  on  the  palefaces. 
There  is,  however,  at  the  present  time  one  very 
old  squaw  whose  memory  goes  back  to  the  visit 


96  Blazing  the  Way. 

of  these  hardy  pathfinders,  and  she  tells  about 
their  peculiar  ways,  their  games,  races,  and  their 
buying  things  from  the  natives.  This  woman 
does  not  know  how  old  she  is,  but  she  certainly 
has  seen  nearly  or  quite  one  hundred  snows. 

My  adventure  at  this  place  at  this  time  was 
as  nothing  to  what  it  would  have  been  had  my 
horse  been  less  sure-footed  while  crossing  the 
river.  The  water  came  up  on  his  sides,  and  my 
feet  were  kept  from  getting  wet  by  my  placing 
them  on  his  neck.  The  current  was  not  slow, 
and  at  times  it  looked  as  though  swimming  would 
be  in  order.  This  was  the  last  time,  as  well  as 
the  first,  that  I  attempted  to  ford  the  Clearwater. 
Once  a  year  later,  I  made  a  detour  of  many  miles 
in  order  to  avoid  a  crossing  which  was  less  dan- 
gerous than  this.  Continuing  my  ride,  after 
reaching  the  table-lands  of  what  is  known  as 
Camas  Prairie,  I  came  upon  a  large  herd  of  cat- 
tle, and,  on  passing  through  them,  found  myself 
within  a  rod  or  two  of  a  very  large  and  unus- 
ually bold  coyote,  or  prairie-wolf,  an  animal 
which  abounds  in  all  this  region.  This  fellow 
skulked  rapidly  away  when  he  saw  that  he  was 


Among  Settler's  Cabins  and  Indian  Tepees.    97 

discovered.  No  doubt  he  was  prowiiiig  about  in 
order  to  spring  upon  some  of  the  weaker  and 
smaller  animals  of  the  herd.  It  was  nine  o'clock 
that  evening  when  I  drew  rein  at  a  farmhouse  on 
the  edge  of  the  settlement,  and  asked  for  a  night's 
lodging,  which  was  cheerfully  accorded  me. 

It  was  on  the  return  trip  by  a  different  route 
that  I  fell  in  with  an  old  gentleman  whose  home 
was  near  the  White  Bird,  a  small  stream  which 
discharges  its  waters  into  the  Salmon  River  in 
the  mountain  region  of  Central  Idaho.  He  be- 
came much  interested  in  my  work,  so  far  as  con- 
versation was  concerned,  and  made  loud  com- 
plaint that  no  minister  of  the  Gospel  had  ever  vis- 
ited his  section,  and  he  urged  me  to  do  so  as  soon 
as  possible.  He  represented  that  there  were 
many  families  living  in  the  valley,  and  many  of 
the  children  were  growing  up  to  be  young  men 
and  women  without  ever  having  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  hear  a  sermon  or  even  a  prayer.  I  have 
no  doubt  but  this  was  strictly  true,  as  I  have 
known  of  several  places  remote  from  the  larger 
settlements  where  this  was  a  true  state  of  af- 
fairs, and  in  many  instances  it  has  been  nearly 
7 


98  Blazing  the  Way. 

impossible  for  any  minister  of  the  Gospel  to  visit 
them.  At  this  writing  I  know  of  one  county  in 
the  State  of  Idaho  which  has  a  population  of 
more  than  six  thousand  people,  and  with  an  area 
larger  than  i\u  State  of  Connecticut,  where  there 
is  only  one  Protestant  minister  of  the  Gospel. 
There  is  one  town  in  this  county  with  two  thou- 
sand people  without  a  minister  living  nearer  than 
twenty-five  miles. 

Every  similar  situation  presents  interesting 
and  important  problems,  but  problems  which  are 
hard  to  solve.  The  question  of  expense  and  time 
is  one  which  must  always  be  considered ;  for  the 
man  of  God,  however  willing  he  may  be  to  min- 
ister to  the  spiritual  needs  of  such  communities, 
is  also  a  man  of  affairs,  and  he  is  forced  to  con- 
sider the  needs  of  his  own  family  and  himself. 
He  may  be  duly  appreciated  by  a  few  in  some 
needy  places,  but  the  masses  do  not  care  anything 
for  him  or  hi?  requirements,  or  for  his  message. 
They  may  be  entertained,  and  in  a  manner  inter- 
ested in  the  service,  the  singing,  or  the  social 
features  of  his  visit,  but  they  do  not  care  to  share 
in  the  burdens  of  the  occasion,  or  in  the  support 


Among  Settler's  Cabins  and  Indian  Tepees.    99 

of  the  minister.  Their  theory  is  that  he  should 
go  freely  wherever  there  are  people,  but  he  should 
support  himself  and  defray  all  expenses  of  such 
extra  visits.  A  few  will  generally  respond  well 
wheti  a  colkction  is  taken  or  a  subscription  is 
asked  for,  but  the  majority  are  like  the  man  who 
gave  as  his  reason  for  not  supporting  the  Gos- 
pel the  fact  that  he  "could  not  find  in  his  Bible 
any  place  where  he  was  told  to  pay  the  preacher." 
This  is  especially  true  among  farming  people  in 
places  where  the  work  has  as  yet  gotten  no  hold 
upon  their  hearts,  though  the  number  who  sup- 
port the  Church  without  any  system  or  con- 
science, and  who  can  hardly  be  said  to  support  it 
at  all,  is  much  larger  than  the  number  who  put 
heart  and  sacrifice  into  the  work.  This  is  true 
of  all  classes,  though  it  is  generally  conceded 
that  collections  for  religious  or  charitable  pur- 
poses are  more  generous  among  mining  people 
than  among  those  who  follow  agriculture,  though 
farming  communities  are  more  stable  and  relia- 
ble after  the  Gospel  work  has  become  fully  es- 
^tablished. 

When  invited  to  go  and  preach  or  conduct 


loo  Blazing  the  Way. 

religious  services  in  new  and  scattered  communi- 
ties it  has  been  my  custom  to  make  careful  in- 
quiry as  to  the  probable  permanence  of  the  work. 
Accordingly,  in  the  present  instance,  I  plied  the 
old  gentleman  with  numerous  questions.  He 
was  ready  with  his  replies,  and  his  arguments 
were  most  convincing.  "O,"  he  said,  "there  is  a 
large  settlement  down  there,  and  they  will  give 
you  a  great  welcome  and  a  crowded  house.  My 
son-in-law,  Mr.  S.,  will  announce  your  coming 
and  attend  to  all  the  arrangements  for  the  meet- 
ing. He  will  take  care  of  you  while  there,  and 
the  people  will  show  their  appreciation  of  your 
services  by  doing  all  in  their  power  to  make  your 
visit  fully  satisfactory.  We  ought  to  have  a 
preacher  there  all  the  time,  and  I  think  your  look- 
ing up  the  matter  will  result  in  your  sending  us 
one."  All  this,  and  much  more,  the  old  gentle- 
man said  in  behalf  of  that  White  Bird  commu- 
nity which  was  so  very  hungry  for  the  bread  of 
life,  and  was  nearly  starved  for  the  lack  of  it.  I 
accordingly  assured  him  that  the  next  time  I 
came  within  reach  of  his  section  I  would  surely 
make  a  detour  into  it,  and  would  do  what  I  could 


Among  Settler's  Cabins  and  Indian  Tepees.  lOI 

ill  co-operation  with  the  earnest  people  to  bring 
about  a  better  state  of  affairs. 

My  visit  occurred  in  the  following  January. 
I  gave  two  weeks'  notice  in  advance  of  my  com- 
ing to  the  man  whose  name  had  been  given  me, 
and  I  assured  him  that  on  the  loth  of  the  month 
I  would  be  at  his  place,  and  asked  him  kindly  to 
arrange  for  service  in  accordance  with  the  invi- 
tation which  his  father-in-law  had  given  me.  On 
the  morning  of  the  loth  I  was  twenty  miles  away. 
The  weather  was  cold  and  the  snow  was  two  feet 
deep.  I  was  on  horseback — a  cold  method  of 
travel  in  the  winter — but  I  began  the  ride  into 
the  White  Biid  settlement  to  preach  the  Word 
to  a  people  who  had  been  waiting  for  it  through 
long  and  weaiy  years;  for  this  was  an  old  set- 
tlement, which  dated  back  to  the  time  of  the  early 
mining  period  of  Idaho.  I  made  slow  progress, 
owing  to  the  condition  of  the  roads,  and  having 
no  chance  to  get  dinner  I  went  without  it.  Upon 
reaching  the  edge  of  the  prairie  I  began  the  de- 
scent of  the  river  canyon,  which  was  seven  miles 
in  length,  as  the  road  wound  its  way  about.  It 
took  me  over  an  old  battle-ground  where,  in  1877, 


I02  Blazing  the  Way. 

General  O.  O.  Howard  fought  with  the  Indians 
in  the  war  with  the  famous  Chief  Joseph  and  his 
cruel  followers.  The  deeper  I  went  into  the  val- 
ley the  less  snow  was  encountered,  until  at  the 
bottom  it  had  entirely  disappeared.  Here  I  found 
a  goodly  settlement,  with  comfortable  homes, 
surrounded  with  quite  extensive  orchards  of 
peach,  pear,  and  apple  trees.  The  contrast  be- 
tween this  valley  and  the  uplands,  less  than  ten 
miles  distant,  was  most  marked.  Here  there  is 
no  snow,  and  the  sheep  are  running  at  large  and 
finding  pasture.  There  the  snow  is  so  deep  that 
the  sheep  and  cattle  keep  close  to  the  barns  or  are 
in-doors,  and  winter  holds  everything  in  its 
frozen  embrace.  Here  the  streams  are  running 
free  from  ice,  while  there  they  are  frozen  over, 
and  the  snow  covers  the  ice.  At  five  o'clock  I 
drew  rein,  dismounted,  and  prepared  to  receive 
my  welcome. 

"Is  Mr.  S.  at  home  ?"  I  asked  of  a  boy  who 
appeared  in  front  of  the  house. 

"No,"  was  his  laconic  reply. 

"Was  he  expecting  some  one  here  to-night?" 
I  further  inquired. 


Among  Settler's  Cabins  and  Indian  Tepees.  103 

"Guess  not.    I  did  n't  hear  nothin'  about  it." 

"Well,  when  will  he  return?"  I  asked. 

"Not  till  morning,"  he  said;  "he  has  gone  to 
a  dance." 

I  next  ventured  to  ask  if  I  could  get  accom- 
modations for  the  night. 

"Yes,"  said  the  boy,  "if  you  can  put  up  with 
my  cooking." 

Just  at  daybreak  the  next  morning,  Mr.  S. 
and  wife  and  Httle  ten-year-old  girl  came  home 
from  the  dance.  I  took  the  opportunity  to  ask 
Mr.  S.  if  he  had  received  a  letter  from  me  about 
two  weeks  before  this,  and  he  reluctantly  ad- 
mitted that  he  did,  but  proceeded  to  say  that  he 
did  not  know  but  something  might  happen  so  I 
would  not  reach  them  in  time,  and  he  did  not 
wish  to  disappoint  the  people,  and  had  failed  to 
announce  my  possible  coming;  so  I  was  the  dis- 
appointed one.  He  was  generous  enough  not  to 
accept  the  pay  I  tendered  him  for  my  board  and 
lodging,  though  the  boy  made  full  charge  for  the 
feed  and  care  of  my  horse.  I  was  not  invited  to 
return,  nor  have  I  since  visited  that  part  of  the 
country,  though  fully  persuaded  that  it  needs  the 


I04  Blazing  the  Way. 

Gospel,  and  earnestly  desiring  to  be  the  means  of 
presenting  it  to  this  particular  place  where  I  was 
once  defeated  in  my  plans.  The  ten-year-old 
daughter  of  Mr.  S.  told  me  her  age,  and  asked  me 
if  I  did  not  like  to  dance,  and  said  she  had  danced 
all  night. 

Yes,  there  are  some  dark  spots  in  the  home 
field  outside  of  the  large  cities. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
A    Midwinter   Journey. 

On  one  cccasion  my  work  called  me  to  make 
a  trip  into  the  northern  part  of  the  State  of  Wash- 
ington nearly  to  the  British  line.  A  local  preacher 
was  supplying  a  circuit  a  hundred  miles  in  length 
between  the  Columbia  and  British  America  along 
the  Okanagon  River.  He  had  urged  me  to  visit 
his  work  during  the  month  of  January,  giving 
as  his  reason  that  we  could  at  that  time  organize 
a  Church  at  the  town  of  Loomis  at  the  extreme 
northern  end  of  his  circuit.  He  gave  notice  of 
our  anticipated  visit  a  number  of  weeks  in  ad- 
vance, and  the  outlook  for  a  successful  three 
days'  meeting  at  this  place  was  most  favorable. 

On  our  way  into  this  country  a  lady  at  one 
of  the  stage-houses  mentioned  that  a  minister  of 
another  Church  had  preceded  us  on  his  w^ay  to 
Loomis  about  ten  days  before.  She  gave  me  his 
name,  together  with  the  name  of  the  Church  of 
105 


lo6  Blazing  the  Way. 

which  he  had  been  pastor,  and  explained  that  he 
was  on  horseback,  and  was  leading  a  heavily 
loaded  pack  animal,  all  of  which  indicated  to  me 
that  he  had  gone  into  this  section  to  remain  for 
a  considerable  length  of  time.  My  suspicions 
were  at  once  aroused,  and  with  good  reason  as 
future  developments  showed,  for  on  arriving  at 
our  destination  we  found  this  enterprising  min- 
ister of  another  Church  had  been  ten  days  in  the 
field,  and  was  being  entertained  by  the  people 
who  had  previously  invited  us  to  their  home.  He 
had  been  holdmg  meetings  each  night  since  com- 
ing, had  visited  almost  every  family  and  cabin  in 
the  community  for  miles  about,  and  was  pledg- 
ing people  to  join  his  Church  on  condition  that 
he  became  its  pastor  and  could  obtain  a  grant  of 
missionary  money  from  his  Church  Board,  which 
amount  was  to  be  several  hundred  dollars  in  ex- 
cess of  what  we  could  promise.  Under  the  cir- 
cumstances this  minister  could  aflford  to  give  us 
a  hearty  welcome,  and  treat  us  with  great  cour- 
tesy; for  he  liad  the  situation  in  his  grasp,  and 
understood  the  game  he  was  successfully  play- 
ing.   He  knew  that  he  had  nearly  run  his  course 


A  Midwinter  Journey.  I07 

in  his  former  field,  and  in  the  absence  of  an  ap- 
pointing system  in  his  Church,  he  was  now  tak- 
ing the  matter  of  a  new  field  of  labor  in  his  own 
hands,  and  to  him  the  affair  was  of  the  utmost 
personal  importance  rather  than  a  concern  for 
the  extension  of  the  Master's  kingdom.  The 
weakness  of  his  present  position  was  that  he  was 
at  present  occupying  the  schoolhouse  by  his  serv- 
ices, which  had  been  formerly  occupied  by  our 
pastor  in  his  regular  visitations,  and  now  the 
date  was  at  hnnd  in  which  our  services  had  been 
announced.  Also,  there  were  some  people  in  the 
community  who  were  saying,  not  without  a  show 
of  reason,  that  the  coming  of  this  man  had  been 
purposely  timed  to  receive  the  fruits  of  our  toil. 
This  pastor,  who  had  been  occupying  this  field 
for  ten  days,  had  come  to  look  upon  himself  as 
the  pastor  cf  the  entire  flock,  and  as  I  was  a 
stranger,  but  well  vouched  for,  he  cordially  in- 
vited me  to  preach  each  night  I  should  remain, 
just  as  if  the  meeting  and  place  were  all  his. 

What  a  splendid  opportunity  for  a  quarrel ! 
The  feeling  of  the  people  was  intense.  There 
were  numbers  who  urged  us  to  assert  our  rights. 


lo8  Blazing  the  Way. 

and  go  on  with  our  meetings,  and  organize  our 
Church  in  spite  of  what  this  stranger  had  done. 
Indeed,  we  found  that  within  us  which  said  this 
was  the  right  thing  to  do.  But  others  counseled 
another  course,  and  said  the  place  was  not  large 
enough  for  two  Churches,  and  thus  built  up  an 
argument  for  our  retiring  from  the  field.  Al- 
though certain  that  we  were  wronged  in  this  af- 
fair, we  determined  to  avoid  a  quarrel  in  doing 
the  work  of  the  Lord,  if  possible,  and  if  in  honor 
it  could  be  avoided.  Accordingly,  we  remained 
as  previously  announced  for  three  days,  and 
threw  all  our  mfluence  into  the  service  of  God  for 
saving  the  people  under  the  direction  of  this  new 
minister,  and  we  advised  the  people  to  give  him 
and  his  Church  a  fair  trial,  and  we  agreed  to 
withdraw  from  the  field  for  a  time  at  least,  or 
until  convinced  that  we  should  return  and  open 
work  because  of  the  needs  of  the  field. 

I  should  say  [concerning  this  peculiar  situation 
that  this  minister  who  displayed  such  extraordi- 
nary enterprise  and  lack  of  genuine  brotherliness 
was  the  representative  of  a  Church  which  gener- 
ally does  its  work  in  an  honorable  manner,  and 


A  Midwinter  Journey.  lOQ 

whose  authorities  would  uot  sanction  his  conduct 
in  this  instance.  We  retired  from  this  field  for 
a  few  years  i  nd  waited,  and  finally  the  time  came 
for  us  to  reopen  our  work,  when  one  of  our  pas- 
tors organized  a  Church  in  Loomis,  where  we 
still  have  regular  service.  It  is  sometimes  bet- 
ter to  retire  quietly  from  a  field  than  to  remain 
in  the  face  of  opposition.  It  is  better  to  suffer 
wrong  than  to  yield  to  the  baser  impulses  of  na- 
ture, and  enter  into  a  wrangle  which  presents  a 
pleasing  spectacle  for  the  scoffing  world.  It  is 
better  to  retire  from  a  field  having  the  respect 
and  good  will  of  a  people,  though  conscious  of 
being  wronged,  than  to  remain  and  distract  the 
community  with  a  Church  quarrel.  Our  time 
will  finally  come,  if  we  possess  ourselves  in  pa- 
tience and  watch  and  wait. 

In  this  far-away  town  of  Loomis,  a  hundred 
miles  or  more  from  a  railroad,  it  was  my  great 
and  pleasing  privilege  to  meet  and  take  dinner 
with  a  most  refined  and  cultivated  woman,  who 
had  been  the  first  wife  of  the  third  son  of  the 
notorious  Brigham  Young.  She  told  me  her 
story,  which  was  one  of  sadness  and  pathos  in 


no  Blazing  the  Way. 

the  extreme.  She  had  married  through  love, 
and  with  no  good  reason  for  not  marrying  the 
man  whom  ^he  loved.  Although  she  was  a  Pres- 
byterian by  training  and  faith,  she  married  a 
Mormon  in  spite  of  his  religion,  of  which  she 
knew  but  little,  believing  she  would  have  relig- 
ious liberty  and  happiness.  For  years  she  was 
happily  mated,  and  became  the  happy  mother  of 
three  splendid  boys,  whom  she  loved  with  all  the 
affection  of  a  devoted  and  true  mother.  Her  do- 
mestic life  was  all  that  wealth  and  love  Could 
make  it,  and  her  every  wish  was  gratified  by  her 
devoted  husband.  There  came  a  day,  however, 
when  he  broke  the  information  to  her  that  "the 
Church"  required  him  to  take  another  wife  in 
order  to  enable  him  to  prove  his  faith  in  its  teach- 
ings as  a  condition  of  his  promotion  in  its  coun- 
cils. Then  her  heart  was  crushed,  as  thousands 
of  other  Moimon  wives  have  had  their  hearts 
crushed  under  the  same  conditions,  and  she  told 
her  husband,  the  father  of  her  children,  that  if 
he  did  this  thing  she  would  leave  him.  She 
argued  the  case  with  him,  and  he  suffered  with 
her;  but  his  "Church,"  if  we  may  be  pardoned 


A  Midwinter  Journey.  m 

for  calling  it  such,  demanded  it  of  him,  and  in 
due  time  he  married  his  second  wife.  His  first 
wife  was  true  to  her  word.  She  left  him,  and 
gave  up  her  children  with  him,  though  as  she 
talked  with  me  and  showed  me  his  photograph 
and  the  portraits  of  her  boys,  she  wept,  and  I 
understood  that  her  heart  had  never  healed.  This 
is  only  one  of  the  thousands  of  cases  where  this 
horrid  system  has  cursed  and  blighted  lives  which 
otherwise  would  have  been  beautiful  and  happy. 
This  is  only  one  of  the  many  ways  in  which  this 
monster  evil  works  out  the  will  of  Satan. 

On  our  leturn  from  this  place  we  had  an  ex- 
perience which  is  more  pleasant  as  a  memory 
than  as  a  piesent  fact.  My  next  appointment 
was  at  Chelan,  a  place  some  twenty-eight  miles 
from  the  regular  route  of  travel.  It  was  our  in- 
tention to  take  a  stage  which  made  this  trip  two 
or  three  times  each  week;  but  before  reaching 
our  point  of  departure  we  determined  to  walk 
the  intervening  distance.  Possibly  it  should  be 
said  that  the  determining  cause  of  this  decision 
was  that  we  could  not  do  as  Jonah  did  when  he 
took  shipping  for  Tarshish,  for  he  paid  his  fare. 


ZI2  Blazing  the  Way. 

With  US  collections  had  been  light  and  expenses 
heavy,  and  the  future  was  uncertain.  We  be- 
gan our  walk  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 
It  was  at  a  time  of  full  moon,  so  the  night  would 
not  be  dark,  though  it  promised  to  be  cold.  How- 
ever, we  were  in  the  valley  of  the  Columbia,  and 
the  first  five  miles  of  the  course  was  parallel  with 
the  river  on  its  north  bank.  There  was  only  a 
little  snow,  and  none  at  all  when  we  began  our 
march ;  but  soon  we  began  to  climb  the  high 
blufifs,  and  the  snow  grew  rapidly  deeper  and 
made  walking  difficult.  About  dark  we  stopped 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Methow  River,  and  got  sup- 
per at  a  small  hotel.  At  seven  o'clock,  burdened 
with  gripsack  and  overcoat,  we  pursued  our  jour- 
ney, the  exercise  of  walking  keeping  us  warm. 
As  the  night  progressed  we  reached  the  higher 
ground,  and  walking  became  heavier,  but  there 
was  exhilaration  in  the  pure  air  under  the  light 
of  the  moon  and  stars. 

The  miles  seemed  to  grow  longer  as  we  be- 
came more  weary.  My  companion,  who  was 
familiar  with  the  road,  spoke  of  an  Indian  cabin 
which  we  could  reach  about  midnight,  where  we 


A  Midwinter  Journey.  113 

could  rest  til!  morning,  though  the  sleeping  ac- 
:commodations  were  uncertain.  On  reaching  it, 
our  knocking  failed  to  bring  forth  any  response. 
For  four  or  five  hours  we  had  not  passed  a  house 
of  any  description,  and  the  next  one  was  nearly 
ten  miles  farther  on  the  way.  We  tried  the 
door,  but  it  was  fast.  We  tried  again,  and  with 
more  vigor;  for  our  jcase  was  urgent,  and  the 
door  was  forced  under  our  united  pressure. 
"Have  you  a  match  ?"  asked  my  companion.  He 
had  none,  and  after  much  fumbling  in  my  pockets 
it  was  found  that  I  had  only  a  small  piece  of  one, 
about  a  half  inch  long,  but  it  was  a  piece  of  the 
right  end,  and  most  precious  to  us  in  our  emer- 
gency. After  feeling  about  in  the  darkness,  we 
finally  found  the  cold  fireplace  and  a  small  quan- 
tity of  fuel.  My  friend,  who  had  spent  many 
years  on  the  frontier,  and  had  fought  in  the  In- 
dien  wars  under  General  O.  O.  Howard  and 
others,  knew  no  fear.  He  was  determined  we 
should  have  a  fire  and  a  place  to  rest,  for  we 
were  cold  and  footsore.  A  few  pine  shavings 
were  whittled  and  then  we  ventured  all  on  our 
8 


114  Blazing  the  Way. 

precious  match-end.  It  lighted,  and  then  it  ig- 
nited the  curling  end  of  a  shaving.  "Behold  how 
great  a  matter  a  little  fire  kindleth !"  We  soon 
had  a  roaring  fire  in  that  great  and  yawning  fire- 
place, and  the  entire  cabin  was  made  as  light  as 
noonday.  We  concluded  that  the  Indian  family 
which  called  this  place  home  for  a  part  of  the 
year,  had  been  living  elsewhere  for  a  long  time, 
for  there  were  no  signs  of  recent  occupation  in 
the  form  of  eatables  or  beds.  For  an  hour  we 
rested  on  the  benches  before  the  fire,  nearly  fall- 
ing asleep,  and  then  we  wearily  took  up  our 
march. 

On  and  on  we  tramped,  getting  colder  and 
colder,  until  nearly  four  in  the  morning,  when 
we  came  to  a  house  whose  inmates  my  companion 
was  acquainted  with.  The  sky  was  now  clouded, 
and  apparently  a  storm  was  gathering.  We  were 
glad  to  get  an  affirmative  reply  to  our  inquiry 
for  a  place  to  sleep  and  a  chance  to  get  warm.  A 
"shake-down"  was  soon  prepared  for  us  on  the 
floor  of  the  living  room  near  the  great  box  stove, 
and  we  were  soon  being  soothed  to  sleep  by  the 


A  Midwinter  Journey.  1 15 

music  of  a  crackling  fire.  At  daybreak  we  were 
disturbed  by  the  call  to  breakfast,  for  we  must 
eat,  and  after  being  thoroughly  awakened  we  were 
glad  of  the  opportunity.  We  were  now  within 
a  few  miles  of  our  destination,  which  we  reached 
before  nine  o'clock,  after  another  hour's  tramp. 


CHAPTER  X. 
A   Midsummer   Tramp. 

The;  walk  described  in  the  preceding  chapter 
is  by  no  means  the  only  one  I  have  taken  in  per- 
forming my  regular  duties.  A  walk  of  from 
eight  to  a  dozen  miles  at  a  stretch  has  been  so 
common  an  incident  that  nothing  is  thought  of  it. 
Indeed,  it  is  mere  recreation,  and  ought  to  fit 
one  for  longer  tramps.  As  recently  as  June, 
1902,  I  walked  eighteen  miles  on  a  Sunday  after- 
noon, and  all  that  it  amounted  to  for  me  was  the 
exercise  involved  with  the  weariness  that  fol- 
lowed. The  pastor  of  the  circuit  where  I  was 
holding  quarterly-meeting  was  absent  from  his 
work,  and  I  was  told  that  I  had  been  announced 
for  service  at  a  schoolhouse  some  nine  miles  dis- 
tant for  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  only 
way  for  me  to  reach  this  place  was  to  walk, 
which  I  did,  and  returned  in  time  for  the  even- 
ing service  in  town.  On  reaching  the  school- 
116 


A  Midsummer  Tramp.  1 17 

house  I  found,  not  to  my  delight,  that  a  mistake 
had  been  made,  and  I  was  not  expected  by  the 
people;  so  there  was  nothing  left  for  me  to  do 
except  to  turn  about  and  retrace  my  steps. 
Twenty-mile  walks  I  have  taken  on  many  occa- 
sions, and  in  a  few  instances  have  preached  im- 
mediately afterwards  without  thinking  of  it  as 
very  hard  work,  or  as  anything  worth  notice. 

The  most  tiresome  walk  I  ever  took  was  a 
forced  and  unexpected  tramp  of  fourteen  miles 
in  a  very  rare  atmosphere,  one  hot  July  day. 
The  conditions  were  as  follows :  Our  pastor  at 
Junction,  Idaho,  had  undertaken  to  convey  me 
by  his  horse  and  buggy  across  the  main  ridge  of 
the  Bitter  Root  Mountains  into  Montana,  to  a 
place  about  thirty  miles  from  the  railroad,  where 
I  could  intercept  the  stage.  Neither  of  us  had 
ever  been  over  this  road  before,  and  we  did  not 
know  the  distance  of  the  stage-road  from  the 
summit  of  the  mountains.  We  allowed  plenty 
of  time  by  getting  an  early  start  for  our  ride  of 
twenty-five  or  thirty  miles,  and  slowly  and  pleas- 
antly we  ascended  the  western  side  of  this  lofty 
range  of  the  Rockies,  not  far  from  the  pass  first 


Il8  Blazlna  the  Way. 

crossed  by  Lewis  and  Clark  in  the  autumn  of 
1805.  We  passed  a  splendid  and  very  large 
spring  of  pure  cold  water,  which  bursts  from 
the  mountain  side  in  a  stream  large  enough  to 
float  a  person  of  ordinary  size.  We  wonder 
whether  this  is  the  spring  mentioned  by  Clark 
in  his  Journal,  from  which  he  and  his  men  first 
drank  of  the  waters  which  ultimately  empty  into 
the  Pacific  by  way  of  the  majestic  and,  to  them, 
almost  unknown  Columbia.  It  was  near  this 
spot  that  they  found  the  Lemhi  Indians,  from 
whom  they  purchased  horses,  and  whose  friendly 
assistance  they  obtained  in  crossing  what  is  now 
the  State  of  Idaho. 

We  kept  climbing,  and  at  the  same  time  ad- 
miring the  wonderful  and  ever-widening  vision 
upon  our  left  as  we  zigzagged  upwards,  when  all 
at  once,  as  suddenly  as  the  "wonderful  one-hoss 
shay"  collapsed,  one  of  the  carriage  wheels  which 
had  gotten  into  a  rut,  went  all  to  pieces,  and 
the  vehicle  and  its  inmates  went  over  the  side 
of  the  highway  in  a  badly  disordered  heap.  On 
righting  ourselves  and  looking  about,  we  found 
that  we  were  within  a  few  rods  of  the  summit 


A  Midsummer  Tramp.  1 19 

of  the  mountain,  the  dividing  Hne  between  the 
States,  the  backbone  or  ridge  of  the  continent, 
but  an  unknown  distance  from  our  destination. 
My  friend,  who  was  a  person  of  many  resources, 
and  not  easily  defeated  by  disaster  or  difficulties, 
began  to  strip  the  harness  from  his  horse  with 
the  avowed  purpose  of  sending  me  on  my  way 
astride  of  the  animal.  I  refused  to  entertain 
this  idea  for  a  moment,  as  he  would  have  no 
means  of  getting  himself  or  horse  or  broken 
buggy  back  to  his  home.  After  a  few  minutes  of 
consultation  it  was  agreed  that  m\-  friend  jcould 
get  home  easily  enough  if  I  were  out  of  the  way, 
and  that  I  could  get  to  my  destination  on  foot  if 
my  friend  were  out  of  the  way.  Accordingly 
we  decided  to  part  company,  and  on  the  summit 
of  the  ridge  of  the  continent,  from  which  posi- 
tion we  could  look  for  almost  unnumbered  miles 
either  toward  the  Mississippi  or  the  Columbia, 
we  clasped  hands  and  bade  each  other  Godspeed, 
he  turning  to  the  west  and  I  to  the  east.  I  after- 
ward learned  that  the  owner  of  the  broken  wheel 
walked  more  than  a  mile  to  the  nearest  trees, 
where  he  cut  a  sapling  with  his  pocket  knife, 


I20  Blazing  the  Way. 

by  the  means  of  which  he  supported  his  buggy 
and  so  rode  to  town  with  the  sapling  protruding 
from  the  rear  in  lieu  of  the  broken  wheel. 

As  I  proceeded  down  the  mountain  T  found 
that  my  impedimenta,  a  gripsack  and  linen  dus- 
ter, to  say  nothing  of  a  collar  of  the  same  mate- 
rial, were  not  help  in  such  a  walk.  Fortunately, 
the  road  led  me  down  instead  of  up  the  moun- 
tain. Another  bit  of  good  fortune  was  that  my 
gripsack  weighed  only  about  twenty  pounds  when 
I  first  began  the  walk,  though  for  the  final  five 
miles  it  appeared  to  grow  heavier  until  it  seemtd 
to  me  it  would  weigh  more  than  a  keg  of  nails. 
Our  estimate  of  the  distance  I  would  need  to 
walk  had  been  that  ten  miles  would  cover  it,  and 
that  three  hours  could  with  safety  be  allowed 
before  the  stage-coach  would  pass  the  point  which 
I  designed  to  reach.  The  sun  beat  down  with 
fierceness,  and  as  the  day  advanced  and  as  I  de- 
scended the  mountain,  the  temperature  became 
hotter  than  one  would  think.  There  was  no 
means  for  getting  a  ride.  For  five  miles  the  only 
house  I  passed  was  a  deserted  one.  I  slaked  my 
thirst  several  times  at  the  mountain  streams,  but 


A  Midsummer  Tramp.  121 

did  not  dare  to  stop  to  rest.  Finally  I  was  cer- 
tain that  more  then  ten  miles  had  been  left  be- 
hind me,  and  yet  there  were  no  signs  of  the  tele- 
graph poles  which  I  remembered  adorned  the 
stage-road.  I  passed  a  log  house,  and  found, 
upon  inquiry,  that  I  had  missed  my  way,  thus 
adding  another  mile  to  my  walk. 

Getting  my  bearings  from  this  point,  I  trudged 
on  for  another  hour,  and  finally  came  to  a  ranch 
which  I  knew  was  not  far  from  the  coveted  road. 
I  rapped  at  the  door  of  the  large  farmhouse.  It 
was  opened  by  the  owner,  a  man  well  known  in 
that  part  of  Montana  as  a  wealthy  cattleman. 
He  gave  me  a  drink  of  water,  and  while  he  was 
getting  it  I  obtained  a  glimpse  of  the  interior 
of  his  home.  The  rooms  were  spacious  and  ele- 
gant in  finish  and  furnishings.  A  log  house  with 
numerous  rooms,  fitted  up  and  furnished  in  mod- 
ern city  style,  in  an  open  sagebrush  setting !  Here 
was  a  wonder  indeed ;  but  it  is  in  a  country 
which  is  in  itself  a  wonder.  I  asked  his  opinion 
as  to  whether  the  stage  for  the  railroad  had  yet 
gone,  and  he  informed  me  that  I  could  learn 
the  situation  by  looking  into  his  private  mail- 


122  Blazing  the  Way. 

box  at  the  forks  of  the  roads  a  half  mile  farther 
on;  for  if  it  had,  there  would  be  no  mail-pouch 
in  it;  and  if  it  had  not  yet  passed,  the  pouch 
would  still  be  there.  I  was  so  weary  that  I  could 
hardly  walk,  and  the  few  minutes  I  had  spent  at 
his  door  had  almost  taken  away  my  power  of 
locomotion ;  but  a  half  mile  more  would  not  re- 
quire a  great  effort,  so  I  pushed  on,  though  weak 
and  lame  and  footsore.  Presently  I  came  in  sight 
of  the  red  mail-box  fastened  to  a  tall  post  in  the 
triangle  formed  by  the  meeting  of  the  ways.  A 
minute  more  and  I  had  lifted  the  door,  and  there 
was  the  pouch  of  letters  waiting  for  the  govern- 
ment's faithful  servant  to  carry  its  contents  to 
all  the  earth. 

This  is  Horse  Prairie,  first  seen  by  the  white 
men  in  1805,  but  the  feeding  ground  for  Indian 
ponies  for  three-quarters  of  a  century  longer. 
Sagebrush  is  its  native  product,  but  this  is  giving 
way  in  irrigated  spots  to  meadows  and  cattle 
ranches.  On  this  occasion  I  did  not  spend  much 
time  in  viewing  the  scenery,  or  in  trying  to  enter 
into  sympathy  with  Lewis  and  Clark.  All  senti- 
ment had  for  the  time  being  been  taken  out  of 


A  Midsummer  Tramp.  123 

me.  I  lay  down  flat  on  my  lack  in  the  sagebrush, 
and  hoisted  my  umbrella  as  protection  against  the 
sun,  and  rested  for  a  full  hour  before  I  heard 
the  rumbling  of  wheels  which  told  of  the  ap- 
proach of  a  Concord  coach  with  four  horses. 
Resting  there  by  the  fence  under  the  shade  of  my 
umbrella  was  the  easiest  thing  I  ever  did. 


CHAPTER  XL 

Profanity  and  Liquor. 

A  PRESIDING  EivDER  has  a  great  variety  of  ex- 
periences, and  that,  too,  with  all  kinds  of  people. 
This  is  especially  true  in  a  new  country.  Men 
and  women  of  the  baser  sort  are  in  many  in- 
stances brazen  in  the  publicity  of  their  evil,  and 
they  seem  to  care  but  little  who  may  know  what 
their  occupation  may  be.  Profane  talk  of  the 
vilest  kind  is  frequently  indulged  in  with  perfect 
license  in  the  presence  of  men,  and  sometimes 
even  before  women.  There  is  but  little  satisfac- 
tion or  good  realized  in  rebuking  or  even  in 
frowning  upon  such  conduct,  though  one  may 
hold  himself  far  above  it.  If  profane  talkers 
come  to  understand  that  a  listener  is  averse  to 
such  conversation,  they  will  after  a  time  gen- 
erally refrain,  unless  they  are  in  a  decided  ma- 
jority. 

I  recall  an  experience  I  once  had  with  a  very 
124 


Profanity  and  Liquor.  1 25 

profane  and  swearing  man  while  waiting  for  a 
stage  in  a  country  post-office.  This  man  came 
into  the  room  where  several  persons  were  wait- 
ing, and  his  swagger,  oaths,  and  profanity  were 
apparent  in  all  he  did  or  said.  He  was  about 
sixty  years  of  age,  well  dressed,  and  apparently 
was  a  person  of  good  business  ability.  Presently 
the  conversation  drifted  to  the  time  when,  years 
before,  he  was  a  teamster  in  a  certain  mining 
camp,  and  he  told  of  the  great  times  he  had  with 
his  horses,  and  how  he  used  to  swear  at  them 
when  they  did  not  pull  to  his  liking.  He  pre- 
sented the  appearance  of  one  who  gloried  in  his 
profanity,  both  as  a  memory  and  as  a  present  ex- 
perience. His  uninvited  conversation  seemed  to 
be  addressed  to  me  or  toward  the  place  I  was 
occupying,  as  though  he  wished  to  improve  the 
opportunity  of  impressing  the  stranger  with  a 
sense  of  his  great  importance  and  smartness. 
Presently  I  asked  him  if  he  thought  his  horses 
did  any  better  by  being  sworn  at,  and  he  affirmed 
that  he  thought  it  helped  them.  I  then  became 
suddenly  interested,  and  told  him  I  was  making 
something  of  a  study  of  the  philosophy  of  profan- 


126  Blazing  the  Way. 

ity,  and  in  my  desire  to  learn  something  on  the 
matter  I  would  be  pleased  to  have  him  give  me 
his  theory  as  a  swearing  man,  as  to  why  men  use 
profane  language.  I  further  explained  to  him 
that  such  language  was  not  considered  to  be  ex- 
actly proper  or  polite  in  the  best  society,  and 
suggested  that  I  presumed  he,  though  given  to 
profanity,  would  not  swear  in  the  presence  of  re- 
fined ladies  or  in  the  presence  of  his  mother,  if 
she  were  living.  Again  I  asked  him  to  give  me 
a  good  and  valid  reason  why  men  of  intelligence 
and  ability  should  use  profane  language;  for 
surely  there  must  be  some  reason,  or  men  of 
sense  would  not  indulge  in  it  at  all.  Somehow 
the  air  of  bluster  suddenly  left  this  man,  and  he 
began  to  look  embarrassed  and  surprised. 
Finally,  as  I  continued  to  press  my  question  upon 
him  for  an  honest  and  candid  reply,  he  stam- 
mered that  he  thought  swearing  answered  as  a 
safety  valve  when  a  person  was  angry.  But  I 
objected  that  men  were  not  always  angry  when 
they  were  swearing.  "You  have  not  been  angry 
since  coming  into  the  room,  and  yet  you  have 
given  us  several  examples  of  speech  that  I  do 


Profanity  and  Liquor.  1 27 

not  think  you  would  use  in  the  presence  of  some 
persons  whom  you  know.  What  I  want  is  a 
good  reason  for  such  language  on  the  part  of  a 
man  of  good  sense  when  there  is  no  anger  in  the 
case,  but  when  persons  are  calm  and  collected." 
He  then  affirmed  that  he  did  not  make  a  practice 
of  swearing  in  the  presence  of  ladies,  though 
essaying  a  feeble  defense  of  his  practice  in  other 
company.  My  comment  in  reply  was  to  the 
effect  that  there  were  some  men  who  were  enti- 
tled to  as  great  respect  as  were  the  ladies  whom 
he  would  not  insult.  In  this  manner  we  quietly  and 
yet  seriously  discussed  the  subject  until  the  ar- 
rival of  the  stage  which  we  both  mounted.  We 
occupied  the  same  seat,  and  for  ten  miles  we 
talked  on  various  matters,  and  our  themes  of 
conversation  were  not  marred  by  any  words  of 
profanity.  At  this  time  neither  knew  who  the 
other  man  was,  but  I  afterwards  learned  that  my 
companion  was  a  well-known  and  wealthy  sheep- 
owner  of  Southern  Idaho. 

On  another  occasion,  having  been  for  a  num- 
ber of  days  in  a  section  remote  from  the  usual 
hnes  of  travel,  I  was  on  a  return  trip  at  a  sta- 


I 


128  Blazing  the  Way. 

tion,  or  stopping  place  for  travelers,  and  was  in 
the  act  of  polishing  my  shoes  at  the  barn  where 
I  had  just  stabled  my  horses,  when  all  at  once  a 
torrent  of  oaths  and  curses  assailed  my  ears.  This 
was  accompanied  by  laughter  and  ridicule,  and 
proceeded  from  a  stranger  on  horseback  who 
was  in  the  act  of  reining  in.  He  asked  why  any 
man  should  polish  his  shoes  in  such  a  country 
as  this,  and  as  he  asked  the  question  his  adjec- 
tives were  such  as  would  not  appear  well  in  print. 
As  soon  as  he  gave  me  a  chance  to  reply  I  sug- 
gested that  clean  shoes  were  not  out  of  place  for 
a  gentleman,  no  matter  where  he  might  be; 
whereupon  he  ridiculed  the  idea  of  my  being  a 
gentleman,  and  affirmed  with  oaths  that  he  knew 
who!  was,  and  what  my  business  was,  and  he 
at  once  pronounced  me  a  drummer.  "Yes,"  he 
added,  "a  whisky  drummer,  and  a  San  Francisco 
whisky  drummer  at  that."  Half  an  hour  later 
this  vociferous  traveler  was  very  profuse  with 
his  words  of  apology. 

No  person  can  truthfully  say  that  he  is  free 
from  the  liquor  business,  for  he  often  comes  in 
touch  with  it  in  some  form  or  another.    With  the 


Profanity  and  Liquor.  129 

licensed  saloon  in  nearly  every  town,  and  at  many 
country  places,  it  is  impossible  to  get  out  of  the 
reach  of  this  baleful  thing,  and  all  classes  and 
persons  feel  its  effects  in  many  ways.  I  have 
known  many  persons  who  have  engaged  in  this 
traffic  who  would  be  glad  to  get  out  of  it,  but 
hardly  know  how  to  do  so,  for  they  are  held  fast 
by  its  toils,  or  else  they  lack  the  strength  of  char- 
acter which  should  determine  them  to  declare  for 
a  better  life  or  a  better  business.  The  following 
is  a  rather  unusual  instance,  but  it  presents  its 
moral. 

One  cold  December  morning  I  took  my  place 
on  an  uncovered  stage  for  a  brief  journey.  The 
last  passenger  to  emerge  from  the  hotel  from 
which  we  were  about  to  start  was  a  well-dressed 
man  in  middle  life,  who  took  his  seat  by  the  side 
of  the  driver  directly  in  front  of  me.  He  ap- 
peared to  be  an  ordinary  traveling  man,  who 
probably  represented,  we  thought,  some  large 
wholesale  house.  He  was  quick  in  step  and  act- 
ive in  movement  and  speech,  and  appeared  to 
be  on  the  best  of  terms  with  himself  and  the  rest 
of  the  world  of  humanity.  He  immediately  be- 
9 


130  Blazing  the  Way. 

gan  a  brisk  conversation  with  the  driver,  occa- 
sionally looking  about  him  at  the  other  pas- 
sengers. In  less  than  ten  minutes  he  suddenly 
turned  about  and  looked  me  full  in  the  face  and 
abruptly  said :  "I  do  not  know  what  your  busi- 
ness is ;  but  as  for  mine — well,  I  am  not  ashamed 
of  my  business."  Then  he  abruptly  repeated  the 
statement  that  he  was  not  ashamed  of  his  busi- 
ness, and  volunteered  the  information  that  he  was 
engaged  in  selling  liquor  for  a  Chicago  whole- 
sale house,  and  then  for  the  third  time  told  us  that 
he  was  not  ashamed  of  his  business. 

Up  to  this  time  no  one  had  said  a  word  about 
his  business,  nor  had  any  reference  been  made 
by  any  person  to  the  liquor  problem  in  any  of 
its  many  phases.  This  interesting  stranger  next 
went  into  a  defense  of  his  position.  He  prefaced 
it  by  saying  that  he  had  only  contempt  for  any 
person  who  was  fool  enough  to  drink  or  to  get 
drunk.  He  declared  that  he  never  sampled  his 
own  wares ;  in  fact,  he  was  a  total  abstainer ;  he 
believed  and  freely  admitted  that  liquor-drinking 
was  the  greatest  possible  curse  to  humanity,  but 
insisted  that  people  would  drink  the  stuff,  and 


Profanity  and  Liquor.  13^ 

SO  some  one  must  handle  it,  and  it  should  be 
handled  only  by  good  men,  and  therefore  he  was 
in  the  business,  and  that  for  the  money  it  would 
bring  him.  He  talked  on  and  on,  and  again  as- 
sured us  that  he  was  not  ashamed  of  his  busi- 
ness. I  had  previously  heard  of  this  man,  and 
still  a  few  weeks  later  my  attention  was  called 
to  him,  and  in  every  instance  he  was  reported 
to  have  talked  in  the  interest  of  total  abstinence, 
though  actively  engaged  in  selling  the  article 
which  he  evidently  abhorred.  In  conversation 
with  him  on  this  occasion  he  admitted  that  he 
had  been  brought  up  under  Christian  influences, 
his  mother  having  been  a  Christian.  Was  not 
this  man  really  and  heartily  ashamed  of  his  busi- 
ness, and  was  he  not  trying  to  ease  his  troubled 
conscience  by  his  course  of  reasoning? 

Not  many  days  later  I  had  an  interesting  ex- 
perience with  a  saloon-keeper  at  three  o'clock  on 
Christmas  morning.  I  had  boarded  the  stage  at 
I.ewiston,  Idaho,  in  order  to  catch  the  train  ten 
miles  distant,  so  as  to  reach  home  in  time  for 
Christmas  dinner  with  my  family.  Before  leav- 
ing town  the  driver  halted  before  a  brilliantly 


132  Blazing  the  Way. 

lighted  saloon,  and  shouted  to  the  inmates,  using 
more  or  less  profanity,  as  is  too  much  the  custom 
cf  stage-drivers  in  the  West.  We  could  see  men 
inside  who  were  apparently  drinking  and  carous- 
ing. Finally,  after  the  driver  had  nearly  lost  his 
patience  by  continued  calls  and  oaths,  three  men 
came  out,  and  one  of  them,  who  needed  to  be 
supported  by  the  other  two,  managed  to  get  into 
the  rear  seat  of  the  open  vehicle  then  used  on 
that  line  for  carrying  passengers.  Drunken  fare- 
wells were  shouted  in  broken  language,  mingled 
with  wishes  for  a  merry  Christmas,  and  the  stage 
darted  off  into  the  darkness  toward  the  ferry: 
for  the  river  must  be  crossed  before  we  could 
begin  the  ascent  of  the  mountain  on  the  other 
side.  The  weather  was  quite  cold,  and  a  light 
snow  was  falling.  Our  hilarious  saloon-keeper 
v/as  the  sole  occupant  of  the  rear  seat  of  the 
wagon.  We  halted  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  and 
our  Jehu  began  to  shout  in  order  to  awaken  the 
ferryman,  who  was  asleep  at  his  home  on  the 
other  side  of  the  stream.  In  this  occupation  he 
was  assisted  by  the  passenger  last  received,  whose 
shouts  were  at  first  very  loud  and  boisterous ; 


Profanity  and  Liquor.  133 

but  after  a  little  they  became  less  frequent  and 
more  faint  until  in  a  few  minutes,  on  looking 
about,  I  found  he  was  fast  asleep,  as  was  evi- 
denced also  by  his  loud  and  jerky  breathing.  So 
helpless  had  be  become  that  he  was  in  danger  of 
falling  out  of  the  stage.  The  driver  was  troubled 
on  this  account,  and  accordingly  indulged  in 
more  profanity.  He  finally  asked  if  I  would  not 
ride  with  the  helpless  passenger  on  the  rear  seat 
and  hold  him  in.  Thus  it  came  about  that  the 
minister  and  the  saloon-keeper  occupied  the  same 
seat,  and  the  latter  pillowed  his  head  on  the 
shoulder  of  the  former  after  a  very  loving  and 
confiding  manner,  and  unconsciously  breathed  his 
alcohol-laden  breath  into  my  face.  This  was  not 
a  case  of  politics  making  strange  bedfellows,  nor 
of  the  "brewer  and  the  Sunday-school  man"  vot- 
ing the  same  ticket,  but  it  was  an  instance  of 
very  intimate  association,  though  one  party  was 
hardly  willing,  and  the  other  was  wholly  un- 
conscious. 

The  ferry  being  crossed,  we  began  to  climb 
the  mountain  in  the  darkness.  Haste  was  re- 
c[uired  in  order  to  catch  the  train,  and  a  single 


134  Blazing  the  Way. 

delay  of  a  few  minutes  might  make  it  impossible 
to  reach  home  before  the  next  day;  and  this 
would  not  do,  for  the  saloon  man  and  myself 
were  each  bent  on  joining  our  respective  families 
before  the  glad  Christmas  day  should  pass.  We 
had  proceeded  nearly  a  mile,  I  suppose,  when  I 
made  the  discovery  that  my  charge  was  hatless. 
Then  I  recalled  that  when  he  came  out  of  the 
saloon  he  wore  a  fine  Derby  hat,  and  was  a  better 
dressed  man  than  his  guardian.  Should  I  now 
ask  the  driver  to  halt  and  institute  a  search  for 
the  missing  head-gear,  and  thus  incur  a  further 
loss  of  time  ?  Had  we  not  already  lost  sufficient 
time  because  of  this  man?  Now  that  he  was 
peacefully  resting  was  it  not  prudent  to  let  him 
rest?  I  reflected  that  I  was  occupying  this  par- 
ticular seat  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  this  help- 
less mortal  from  falling  out,  and  not  to  look  after 
his  wardrobe,  and  accordingly  I  decided  that  his 
hat  was  out  of  my  jurisdiction.  Thirty  or  forty 
minutes  passed  and  the  snowfall  was  increasing. 
Finally  my  charge's  ecclesiastical  pillow  became 
uncomfortable,  or,  possibly  the  snow  beating  on 
his  uncovered  brow  disturbed  him,  and  he  roused 


Profanity  and  Liquor.  I35 

up,  at  the  same  time  bringing  his  hand  to  his  face 
and  then  to  his  head.  He  gave  me  a  pitiful  and 
troubled  look  and  slowly  said:  "Have — you — 
seen — anything — of — my — hat?"  I  suppose  I  ap- 
peared much  surprised  as  I  replied  that  I  had  not 
recently  seen  it,  whereupon  he  cried  out:  "Say, 
driver,  I  have  lost  my  (hie),  my  hat.  Can't  you 
hold  on  a  minute  and  help  me  find  it?"  We  all 
joined  in  the  search  for  the  missing  head-piece, 
but  my  intimation  to  the  driver  that  it  was  prob- 
ably a  mile  or  more  down  the  canyon  appeared  to 
settle  the  matter  so  far  as  he  was  concerned,  and 
he  drove  on.  Our  further  search  under  the  seats 
failed  to  disclose  the  property.  As  we  proceeded 
after  the  loss  of  less  than  a  minute's  time,  I  pro- 
ceeded to  wrap  my  companion's  head  in  an  old 
comforter  of  various  colors,  making  sure  that  he 
had  room  in  front  for  his  headlight  nose,  and 
after  I  had  him  well  done  up  he  looked  like  a  na- 
tive Indian  so  far  as  head-dress  was  concerned. 

We  caught  the  train,  and  had  time  sufficient 
for  my  friend  to  purchase  a  new  hat,  which  he 
did.  By  this  time  he  thought  he  knew  enough 
to  operate  a  railroad  all  by  himself,  so  he  struck 


136  Blazing  the  Way. 

for  independence  from  my  further  care,  and 
sought  the  smoking  apartment,  and,  judging 
from  what  followed,  he  must  have  frequently 
consulted  his  gripsack,  which  evidently  con- 
tained goods  other  than  wearing  apparel.  Two 
stations  further  on  we  all  changed  cars,  but  my 
drinking  friend  failed  to  change  in  time  to  catch 
the  train  needed,  and  his  family  certainly  ate 
their  Christmas  dinner  without  his  cheerful  pres- 
ence that  day.  It  was  a  wistful  and  sad  look 
which  this  unfortunate  man  cast  toward  the  de- 
parting train  as  he  apparently  tried,  with  success, 
tc  occupy  more  than  his  rightful  portion  of  the 
platform  which  we  left  behind  us.  It  was  indeed 
pitiful.  It  is  strange  that  men  will  take  to  them- 
selves that  which  "steals  their  brains"  and  makes 
them  fools. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
Ignorance  and  Filth. 

How  MANY  wretched  homes  there  are !  How 
many  are  such  when  there  is  really  no  good  rea- 
son for  the  condition !  Many  are  made  such 
through  intemperance,  while  other  causes  enter 
into  the  conditions  in  other  cases.  Laziness  and 
slovenliness  are  responsible  for  much  misery. 
Sometimes  people  become  discouraged  in  the  con- 
flict of  life,  and  give  up  in  utter  despair,  and  do 
not  even  attempt  to  have  a  pleasant  or  comforta- 
ble home.  If  either  the  husband  or  the  wife  is  a 
sloven,  the  home  will  suffer  as  a  result.  It  is  ex- 
ceedingly unfortunate  when  the  husband  is  not 
as  neat  and  thoughtful  as  he  should  be ;  but  if 
the  wife  is  the  one  at  fault  the  situation  is  even 
worse,  for  she  is  either  the  home-maker  or  the 
home-destroyer.  A  lazy,  shiftless,  "ne'er-do- 
weel"  husband  can  not  destroy  a  home  so  quickly 
or  completely  as  a  shiftless  wife. 
137 


138  Blazing  the  Way. 

We  sometimes  think  of  squalor  and  filth  as 
belonging  to  the  worst  parts  of  a  great  city,  and 
we  forget  that  it  is  also  easy  to  find  in  the  coun- 
try. This  condition  is  not  peculiar  to  any  sec- 
tion or  community.  It  is  found  in  city,  town, 
and  country,  where  there  are  many  homes  which 
are  far  from  being  the  abodes  of  happiness  and 
peace.  In  a  few  instances  the  situation  is  possi- 
bly unavoidable,  as  in  the  case  of  disaster,  sick- 
ness, or  death,  accompanied  by  extreme  poverty ; 
but  in  the  great  majority  of  instances,  love,  fru- 
gality, hard  work,  cheerfulness,  good  cooking, 
with  a  liberal  use  of  soap  and  water,  would  effect 
a  change  for  the  better  if  a  fair  trial  should  be 
made. 

It  is  true  that  some  sections  of  the  country 
are  very  trying  on  the  tidy  housewife  and  home- 
maker.  This  is  generally  true  of  the  country 
sections  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  region.  The 
light  volcanic  dust  is  not  conducive  to  a  heavy 
growth  of  vegetation,  especially  where  the  rain- 
fall is  so  very  light,  and  there  is  nothing  to  keep 
it  in  place  during  the  dry  season ;  and  when  the 
rains  come  this  dust  is  quickly  converted  into  a 


Ignorance  and  Filth.  139 

sticky   mud,    which    is  easily  tracked    into  the 
houses. 

We  must  admit  this  is  not  a  clean  country, 
nor  is  it  an  easy  one  for  the  housekeeper.  How- 
ever, there  is  a  danger  lest  these  natural  obstacles 
be  sometimes  taken  as  an  excuse  for  allowing 
things  to  go  for  the  present,  and  thus  general 
shiftlessness  results  in  more  filth  and  unhappi- 
ness  abounding  than  is  necessary.  Then,  too, 
some  people  appear  to  have  the  idea  that,  with- 
out wealth,  comfortable  home-life  is  out  of  the 
question.  This  is  a  mistaken  idea,  for  wealth 
does  not  always  make  a  good  home,  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  good  and  comfortable  homes  are 
often  found  where  there  is  comparative  poverty. 
I  know  of  many  homes  of  both  kinds,  and  have, 
times  almost  without  number,  been  a  guest  in 
humble  parsonages  where  the  support  was  small, 
but  where  the  home  in  many  and  in  essential 
matters  was  ideal.  I  have  often  been  entertained 
at  other  places  among  our  people  of  various  oc- 
cupations where  the  home-life  in  spite  of  adverse 
conditions  nearly  approached  the  perfect.  It  has 
been  my  privilege  to  see  beautiful  homes  incased 


140  Blazing  the  Way. 

in  a  log  structure  or  in  a  house  of  rough  boards 
lined  with  newspapers.  I  have  also  seen  squalor 
and  filth  and  wretchedness  in  houses  which  gave 
signs  of  wealth,  and  where  there  was  no  doubt 
as  to  the  financial  ability  of  the  owners.  The 
difference  is  due,  not  so  much  to  physical  sur- 
roundings or  conditions  as  to  the  soul,  and  the 
determination  of  the  persons  involved. 

A  few  winters  ago  I  went  for  the  first  time 
into  a  well-settled  and  prosperous  section,  and 
introduced  myself  at  the  home  which  had  been 
designated  as  my  stopping  place  during  my  visit. 
For  a  number  of  weeks  it  had  been  known  that 
T  was  to  be  there  at  this  time,  so  my  coming  was 
no  surprise  to  the  people.  It  was  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  when  I  arrived,  and  found  the 
mother  and  grown  daughter  busily  engaged  in 
washing  and  scrubbing.  It  required  but  a  single 
glance  to  show  the  necessity  for  this  work,  which 
had  evidently  been  badly  delayed.  The  house  was 
in  utter  confusion,  and  all  signs  pointed  to  the  fact 
that  such  was  its  normal  state.  There  was 
abundance  of  room  for  the  large  family  and  their 
guest,  but  there  was  not  a  place  where  one  could 


Ignorance  and  Filth.  '4^ 

sit  down  in  comfort.  The  day  was  very  cold, 
and  that  night  the  mercury  fell  to  several  de- 
grees below  zero.  Three  rooms  down-stairs  were 
thoroughly  wet  with  the  water  which  had  been 
left  after  the  washing  had  been  concluded,  and 
they  were  hastily  scrubbed  in  my  presence.  Four 
cotton  sheets  were  taken  from  the  tub  after  four 
o'clock,  and  tacked  on  the  sides  of  the  living 
room  by  two  corners,  and  that  night  I  slept  be- 
tween two  of  them,  and  still  live  to  tell  the  story. 
Soon  after  four  o'clock  the  children  began 
to  come  in  from  school,  and  then  "confusion  was 
worse  confounded."  Almost  the  first  thing  they 
did  was  to  strip  off  their  shoes  and  stockings  so 
as  to  warm  their  feet  by  the  fire.  Then  came  the 
fight,  almost  a  pitched  battle,  between  the  mother 
and  the  older  boys,  as  to  who  should  do  the 
chores,  such  as  caring  for  the  horse,  bringing  in 
wood  and  water,  etc.  One  boy  actually  went  out 
in  his  bare  feet  for  several  rods  through  the  snow 
and  ice,  and  brought  in  a  pail  of  water.  The 
misery  and  lack  of  comfort  in  that  household 
beggars  description.  I  had  been  announced  to 
preach  there  that  night  at  eight  o'clock,  and  be- 


142  Blazing  the  Way. 

fore  we  sat  down  for  the  evening  meal,  so  late 
was  it  that  the  neighbors  began  to  gather,  and 
no  preparations  for  the  services  had  yet  been 
made. 

I  quote  the  following  from  my  notes  of  this 
visit:  "Such  a  home!  The  wife  is  a  sloven,  and 
seven  children  are  like  her.  There  is  no  family 
government  on  the  part  of  either  parent.  There 
is  much  evidence  of  something  very  closely  allied 
with  heathenism.  The  floors  are  covered  with 
filth,  and  all  else  corresponds.  There  is  not  a 
decent  chair  in  the  house.  I  am  expected  to  re- 
main here  a  day  and  two  nights.  It  is  bitter  cold 
weather.  The  supper  is  very  late.  I  would  not 
mind  if  it  were  entirely  omitted.  Rough  boards 
are  dug  out  of  the  snow,  and  are  brought  into 
the  house  for  seats  during  the  service.  Parents 
and  children  quarrel  again  as  to  who  shall  bring 
in  the  wood.  At  the  close  of  the  meeting  three 
children  are  fast  asleep  on  the  floor.  They  have 
by  choice  been  without  shoes  or  stockings  since 
coming  from  school.  At  eleven  o'clock  at  night 
all  is  quiet;  but  at  six-thirty  the  next  morning 
all  hands  are  up,  and  the  quarrel  for  division  of 


Ignorance  and  Filth.  143 

clothes,  position  at  the  stove,  etc.,  begins.  The 
dog  is  the  best  behaved  member  of  the  entire 
outfit." 

The  foregoing  is  not  a  fancy  sketch,  but  his- 
tory real  and  terrible.  And  yet  the  father  and 
mother  in  this  household  passed  in  the  community 
a?-  religious  people ;  and  I  will  not  say  they  were 
not,  in  a  sense,  religious.  Indeed,  they  bore  a 
reputation  among  some  as  being  very  religious, 
and  it  is  certain  they  were  devoted  to  certain 
forms  which  are  ordinarily  called  religious,  and 
they  could  each  pray  with  fervor,  and  sing  with 
earnestness,  so  far  as  voice  and  movements  of 
the  body  are  concerned;  but  the  "fruits  of  the 
Spirit,"  so  far  as  I  could  judge,  were  almost  en- 
tirely wanting.  Poverty  was  not  a  valid  excuse 
for  this  household  being  in  perpetual  warfare 
with  itself.  Poverty  could  not  account  for  the 
filth  and  disorder  which  abounded.  Ignorance 
and  shiftlessness  are  the  words  which  explain 
the  situation  in  this  and  in  thousands  of  similar 
instances. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Indian     Types. 

Thus  far  in  this  little  book  not  much  has  been 
said  concerning  the  natives  of  the  soil.  I  have 
barely  mentioned  the  work  being  done  by  the 
Presbyterian  Church  among  the  Nez  Perces,  and 
there  is  much  more  that  could  be  told  if  it  prop- 
erly came  within  my  plan.  My  design  is  to  relate 
only  that  which  has  come  under  my  immediate 
and  personal  observation,  or  that  which  is  well 
vouched  for  by  well-known  and  trustworthy 
friends.  It  is  generally  conceded  that  the  work 
done  by  the  Presbyterians  among  the  Nez  Perces, 
and  that  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
among  the  Yakimas,  has  been  successful  to  a  de- 
gree beyond  the  ordinary  mission  work  with  In- 
dians, and  has  proven  to  be  a  great  blessing  to 
the  natives  and  of  valuable  assistance  to  the  gov- 
ernment in  caring  for  its  wards. 

Under  this  instruction  the  Nez  Perces  have 
144 


Indian  Types.  ^45 

learned  to  observe  the  Sabbath  in  a  manner  which 
should  be  a  lesson  to  the  pale  faces.  In  some 
other  respects  these  Indians  may  be  classed 
anion j;  heathens,  as  they  cling  to  their  supersti- 
tions and  ancient  customs  with  great  tenacity. 
It  requires  generations  of  faithful  teaching  and 
most  patient  and  thorough  training  to  transform 
the  Indians  into  well-developed  Christian  citi- 
zens. Indeed,  this  is  true  of  all  heathen  peoples. 
It  was  true  of  our  ancestors,  and  will  be  true  as 
long  as  uncivilized  people  continue  to  live.  Yet 
sixty  years  of  faithful  service  in  doing  mission- 
ary work  and  living  with  the  natives  tells  won- 
derfully in  lifting  a  people  from  abject  degra- 
dation. 

I  once  heard  a  freighter  tell  how  he  learned 
what  day  of  the  week  it  was  on  one  occasion 
when  he  crossed  the  Nez  Perces  Indian  Reserva- 
tion. He  had  been  to  Lewiston  after  a  load  of 
goods,  which  he  was  to  take  into  the  interior  of 
the  State  about  sixty  miles,  his  road  lying  across 
the  reservation.  The  goods  had  not  yet  arrived 
w'hen  he  reached  Lewiston,  and  not  knowing 
when  they  would  come,  he  decided  to  purchase  a 


146  Blazing  the  Way. 

load  of  potatoes  from  the  Indians  on  the  return 
trip,  and  thus  make  the  journey  of  some  profit 
rather  than  return  without  a  load.  When  he 
came  among  the  Indians  he  attempted  to  pur- 
chase potatoes,  which  were  all  ready  for  digging, 
but  met  with  absolute  and  short  refusal,  as  they 
informed  him  it  was  Sunday,  and  that  they  did 
not  dig  or  sell  potatoes  on  that  day.  He  tried  re- 
peatedly to  get  his  load,  but  was  forced  by  these 
Sabbath-keeping  natives  to  wait  until  Monday 
before  he  could  get  his  potatoes.  These  Indians 
had  learned  their  lessons  well,  and  their  lessons 
include  other  subjects  besides  this  of  Sabbath 
observance,  though  in  some  things,  as  we  would 
expect  among  people  just  emerging  from  heath- 
enism, they  are  quite  deficient.  Like  white  peo- 
ple, their  moral  conduct  is  affected  by  their  en- 
vironment. This  idea  will  appear  from  what 
follows : 

On  one  occasion  I  was  on  my  way  by  horse 
and  saddle  to  the  town  of  Grangeville,  in  North- 
ern Idaho,  and  was  journeying  eastward  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Clearwater.  It  had  been  my 
intention  to  ford  this  stream  at  a  place  called 


Indian  Types.  147 

Holt's  Ranch.  Mr.  Holt,  the  owner  of  this  ranch, 
was  a  squaw-man ;  that  is,  a  white  man  who  is 
married  to  an  Indian  woman.  His  place  was  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river  from  me.  Two 
boys  from  the  station  where  I  had  spent  the 
night  went  with  me  to  assist  in  finding  the  proper 
crossing  place.  On  reaching  the  river  opposite 
Mr.  Holt's  place,  the  boys,  who  knew  the  people 
well,  shouted  for  information  as  to  the  safety  of 
crossing  at  the  present  stage  of  water,  and  they 
were  answered  by  a  dusky  maiden  of  eighteen 
summers,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Holt.  The  water 
made  so  much  noise  that  she  could  not  hear  us, 
nor  could  we  hear  her,  so  she  took  a  long  pole, 
and  stepped  lightly  into  a  dug-out,  and  in  an  in- 
credibly short  time  was  on  our  side  of  the  stream. 
She  informed  us  that  whenever  the  water  was 
ever  a  certain  rock  it  was  considered  dangerous 
crossing,  and  this  was  the  present  condition,  and 
she  advised  that  I  keep  on  up  the  river  for  a 
dozen  miles,  and  cross  at  Grier's  Ferry.  She  ex- 
plained that  the  way  for  a  considerable  distance 
was  over  a  dangerous  and  rocky  trail,  but  this 
plan  would  be  safer  than  to  attempt  to  cross  here. 


148  Blazing  the  Way. 

I  acted  on  her  advice,  and  found  the  trail  all  that 
she  had  claimed  for  it.  My  horse  was  a  very 
surefooted  animal,  but  so  dangerous  v^^as  the  nar- 
row path,  and  so  high  was  it  above  the  river  in 
places  that  I  was  glad  to  walk  much  of  the  way 
rather  than  run  the  risk  of  falling  for  hundreds 
of  feet  into  the  surging  waters  below. 

Finally,  in  the  early  afternoon  I  reached 
Grier's  Ferry.  Here  was  a  solitary  house  and 
barn,  with  several  out-buildings,  and  a  small  cur- 
rent-propelled boat,  which  was  hanging  by  its 
cable  near  the  shore.  A  young  man  was  digging 
potatoes  in  a  small  field  near  the  house.  He  ap- 
peared pleased  and  surprised  at  seeing  me,  and 
small  wonder,  for  he  presently  told  me  I  was 
the  first  person  he  had  seen  in  three  days.  I 
asked  him  if  I  could  get  dinner  for  myself  and 
feed  for  my  horse.  He  replied  that  he  would 
feed  my  horse,  and  me  also,  if  I  would  put  up 
with  his  cook,  explaining  that  he  was  his  own 
iCook,  and  that  he  was  all  alone.  While  caring  for 
the  horse  he  inquired  where  I  was  going,  and 
then  asked  if  I  was  not  going  to  remain  over 
night  with  him.  I  replied  that  I  intended  push- 
ing on  in  an  hour  if  he  would  put  me  across  the 


Indian  Types.  149 

ferry.  He  replied  by  asking  where  I  intended 
sleeping  that  night,  and  said  I  did  not  look  as  if 
I  would  enjoy  staying  with  the  coyotes.  He 
added  that  unless  I  was  a  better  rider  than  he 
took  me  to  be  I  could  not  possibly  get  to  the 
nearest  house  before  nightfall.  Accordingly,  I 
decided  to  remain  until  morning  before  contin- 
uing my  lonely  journey. 

About  sunset  we  were  joined  by  another  trav- 
eler, a  solitary  Indian  on  horseback,  followed  by 
four  ponies,  all  without  loads.  He  had  been  to 
Pierce  City  with  oats,  and  was  now  returning 
home  on  the  reservation.  The  young  man,  mine 
host,  seemed  to  know  him  well,  and  called  him 
by  his  first  and,  possibly,  only  name.  At  first  the 
Indian  appeared  to  be  uncommunicative,  and  did 
not  care  to  converse  with  me.  After  a  time  the 
young  man  explained  to  him  that  I  was  a  minister 
of  the  Gospel,  and  at  the  same  time  informed  me 
that  the  Indian  was  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  After  supper  the  Indian  and  myself 
found  ourselves  alone,  and  after  giving  me  a 
look  of  more  than  ordinary  interest,  he  said  : 

"You  a  minister?" 


150  Blazing  the  Way. 

"Yes,"  I  replied. 

"What  Church?" 

"The  Methodist." 

"Hugh !"  Then,  after  a  brief  pause,  he  added, 
"The  Methodists  are  a  very  good  people." 

This  I  interpreted  to  mean  that  he  considered 
the  Methodists  would  do  very  well,  but  were  not 
so  good  as  the  Presbyterians,  and  I  honored  him 
for  his  loyalty.  He  now  took  a  new  tack  and 
said : 

"I  like  to  ask  you  a  question." 

"Very  well,"  I  replied;  "I  will  answer  it  if 
I  can." 

I  expected  a  question  in  theology,  and  in  this 
I  was  not  disappointed. 

Before  narrating  the  remainder  of  the  con- 
versation it  will  be  necessary  to  explain  a  local 
situation.  A  Mr.  A.  was  the  superintendent  of 
the  mission  work  on  the  reservation  at  this  time. 
A  Miss  M.,  for  many  years,  had  been  the  suc- 
cessful teacher  in  the  Bible  and  theology  among 
the  Indians.  The  Rev.  William  Blank  was  an  or- 
dained Indian  minister  and  pastor,  a  man  who 
was    held   in  high    esteem  among    his    native 


Indian  Types.  15^ 

brethren  as  well  as  among  the  whites.  A  few 
months  before  this  time  his  wife  had  died,  and 
he  had  recently  married  again,  and  his  present 
wife  was  his  former  wife's  younger  sister.  The 
question  which  my  Indian  companion  now  asked 
was: 

"Do  you  think  it  is  right  for  a  man  to  marry 
his  wife's  sister?" 

Suspecting  that  the  Rev.  William  Blank  was 
this  man's  pastor,  and  being  cognizant  of  the  cir- 
cumstances as  just  stated,  I  thought  I  discovered 
the  local  and  personal  character  of  the  question, 
but  I  replied  that  I  knew  of  nothing  in  the  Bible 
which  would  condemn  this  act  as  a  sin  if  the 
man's  first  wife  were  dead,  and  if  he  loved  her 
sister  and  her  sister  loved  him. 

The  stoical  native  started  at  first  as  if  in  an- 
ger ;  then  he  appeared  to  think  better  of  it,  waited 
a  minute  before  making  any  reply,  and  then  said : 

"Well,  Mr.  A.,  he  say  it  wrong;  Miss  M.,  she 
say  it  wrong ;  and  William  Blank,  he  used  to  say 
it  wrong;"  he  actually  smiled  now,  and  slowly 
added,  "But  we  think  he  must  have  forgot." 

I  came  to  the   conclusion   that  this   Indian 


152  Blazing  the  Way. 

elder  possessed  the  grace  of  charity  in  no  small 
degree. 

Rev.  William  Blank's  marriage  created  more 
than  ordinary  interest  among  the  Indians.    Some 
of  the  white  people  were  also  interested,  but  for 
another  reason  than  that  which  concerned  the 
members  of  the  flock.    The  one  was  a  theological 
and  social  question.    The  other  was  a  question  as 
to  how  much  heathenism  can  remain  in  Christian 
Indians  and  they  retain  their  place  on  the  side  of 
Christianity.     During  many  generations  it  has 
been  a  custom  among  the  Indians,  when  one  of 
them  gets  married,  to  pay  a  price  for  the  bride 
either  in  horses  or  in  other  articles  of  native 
wealth.    The  young  man  at  Grier's  Ferry  told  me 
that,  a  few  days  before  the  marriage  of  William 
Blank,  he  went  up  the  river  with  a  band  of  horses, 
and  when  he  returned  he  had  a  young  wife  and 
twelve  fewer  horses.     The  circumstances  were 
explained  to  mean  that  he  had  paid  twelve  horses 
for  his  wife.     Possibly  he  had  merely  made  his 
father-in-law   a   present.      In   either   case  there 
are  white  people  who  would  hardly  gain  a  repu- 
tation for  consistency  if  they  should  criticise  him. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Jonah  Hays,  the  Christian  Indian. 

Jonah  Hays  was  an  interesting  and  well- 
known  Indian  of  the  Nez  Perces  tribe.  He  was 
a  man  of  prominence  among  his  people  during 
the  war  of  1877,  when  Chief  Joseph  led  the  red 
men  in  rebellion  and  bloody  war  against  the 
whites;  but  he  cast  his  fortunes  with  the  pale- 
faces and  on  the  side  of  humanity.  At  that  time 
he  had  been  a  Christian  for  many  years,  and  he 
became  one  of  General  O.  O.  Howard's  most 
trusted  scouts.  While  his  red  brethren  were  mur- 
dering the  whites  and  committing  the  most  hor- 
rible depredations  upon  women  and  children,  he 
was  true  to  his  religion  and  the  government.  J^Iy 
acquaintance  with  this  man  goes  to  prove  the  un- 
truthfulness of  the  too  oft  repeated  saying  that 
the  "only  good  Indian  is  a  dead  Indian."  No 
doubt  there  is  much  treachery  and  wickedness 
»53 


154  Blazing  the  Way. 

among  the  savages,  and  the  evil  of  their  nature  is 
very  deep-seated,  the  same  as  it  is  in  savages  of 
other  colors.  But  Christianity  has  done  much 
for  "poor  Lo,"  and,  while  many  are  not  as  good 
as  they  should  be,  it  is  certain  that  many  are  in- 
finitely better  because  the  Gospel  has  been  pre- 
sented to  them,  and  some  stand  the  test  of  en- 
vironment and  temptation  as  well  as  their  white 
brethren.  We  must  remember  that  the  Indian 
has  had  the  benefit  of  only  a  brief  period  of  civ- 
ilization as  compared  with  his  conquerors. 

But  we  return  to  the  Indian,  Jonah  Hays. 
Just  a  week  before  the  opening  of  an  Annual 
Conference  in  Walla  Walla,  in  1892,  he  con- 
fronted me  on  the  street,  and  asked  for  enter- 
tainment during  its  session.  I  had  never  before 
heard  of  him.  He  explained  to  me  at  length  that 
he  was  a  Methodist  and  a  local  preacher,  and 
that  he  had  been  converted  under  the  ministry 
of  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Wilbur,  and  while  nearly  all 
the  Christian  Indians  had  joined  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  he  and  his  family  had  remained 
true  to  the  Church  of  his  first  love. 

"But,  Jonah,"  I  explained,  "you  have  come 


JonahjHavs.  the  Christian  Indian.  155 

here  a  week  too  early  for  Conference,  for  it  does 
not  convene  until  a  week  from  to-day." 

You  should  have  seen  the  look  of  disappoint- 
ment which  he  gave  me  in  response.  He  then 
proceeded  to  tell  me  how  far  he  had  journeyed 
with  his  pony  to  attend  the  Conference.  His 
great,  bony  arm  swept  the  horizon  from  the  east 
to  the  south  as  he  explained  that  he  had  gone  a 
great  distance  out  of  his  way  in  order  to  preach 
the  Gospel  to  the  Umatillas,  and  he  evidently 
thought  that  act  was  of  sufficient  merit  to  meet 
with  my  approval.  He  finally  drew  his  story  to 
a  conclusion  by  saying: 

"And  now  me  too  soon  for  Conference,  and 
me  have  no  money,  and  me  do  n't  know  what  to 
do." 

I  confess  to  have  entered  into  sympathy  with 
him,  for  I,  too,  did  not  know  what  to  do — with 
him.  After  a  little  reflection  I  took  him  to  the 
parsonage,  as  many  a  minister  has  done  with 
the  guests  of  the  Church,  and  there  I  showed  him 
a  room,  and  told  him  that  he  would  sleep  there 
every  night  until  the  close  of  Conference.  I  next 
went  with  him  to  a  restaurant,  where  I  arranged 


156  Blazing  the  Way. 

for  his  board,  and  furnished  him  with  meal 
tickets  sufficient  to  last  for  two  weeks,  after 
which  I  provided  a  place  and  care  for  his  horse. 

Jonah  Hays  was  then  a  happy  Indian,  and  he 
showed  it  by  every  act  and  look.  For  two  weeks 
he  had  liberty  fully  to  gratify  his  nature,  and  do 
nothing  but  eat  and  sleep,  if  he  should  so  choose ; 
but  he  elected  to  do  more  than  this.  He  fairly 
reveled  in  religious  services.  During  the  week 
before  the  opening  of  the  Conference  he  visited 
all  the  Churches  of  the  city  to  which  he  could 
gain  access,  and  took  an  active  part  in  all  the 
prayer-meetings,  and  made  many  friends  among 
all  classes,  and  seemed  thoroughly  to  enjoy  all  his 
opportunities.  When  the  Conference  assembled 
he  was  on  the  very  highest  pinnacle  of  good  feel- 
ing, and  entered  with  hearty  interest  into  all  its 
services,  and  was  highly  elated  at  the  privilege  of 
shaking  hands  with  its  "head  chief,"  the  good 
bishop. 

He  did  not  spend  much  time  in  his  room  ex- 
cept at  night,  and  he  proved  to  be  an  easy  guest 
to  care  for.  His  bed  had  been  prepared  just  as 
it  would  have  been  for  a  white  guest,  but  he  gave 


Jonah  Hays,  the  Christian  Indian.  157 

no  'signs  of  having  slept  in  it  even  once  during 
the  entire  two  weeks  of  his  stay.  He  no  doubt 
slept  rolled  up  in  a  blanket  on  the  floor.  There 
was  water  in  his  room,  and  soap  and  towels  were 
at  hand  for  his  use,  but  none  of  these  things  were 
ever  disturbed.  We  came  to  the  conclusion,  and 
with  evidence,  that  our  guest,  who  rose  early, 
went  to  the  stream  flowing  through  the  city,  each 
morning,  and  there,  as  his  fathers  had  done  for 
many  generations,  he  bathed  himself.  We  gave 
him  the  freedom  of  the  entire  house,  and  no 
doubt  he  would  have  taken  it  anyway,  as  is  the 
custom  with  the  Indians.  He  invaded  every  room 
in  turn,  and  sometimes  would  appear  when  un- 
locked for,  and  without  even  a  semblance  of  an 
excuse  for  his  presence.  He  would  follow  my 
wife  in  the  kitchen  like  a  little  child,  or  he  would 
suddenly  appear  in  the  parlor  when  and  where 
his  presence  was  not  especially  desired.  In  evi- 
dence of  gratitude  for  his  entertainment,  he  one 
day,  near  the  close  of  his  visit,  opened  conversa- 
tion with  my  wife  when  he  was  following  her 
about  her  duties,  and  he  rehearsed  the  whole 
story  of  his  journey  to  the  seat  of  Conference; 


1 5^  Blazing  the  Way. 

he  told  of  his  early  arrival  and  conversation  with 
her  husband,  and  of  his  subsequent  entertain- 
ment and  good  times,  and  finally  concluded  by 
saying,  "Your  man  a  heap  good  man."  When 
we  bade  him  good-bye  he  was  profuse  in  his  ex- 
pressions of  gratitude,  and  he  presented  me  with 
a  well-bound  copy  of  John's  Gospel  in  the  Nez 
Perces  tongue. 

When  I  next  saw  Jonah  Hays,  more  than  a 
year  afterwards,  he  was  even  more  verbose  in 
his  expressions  of  thankfulness  and  appreciation, 
and  at  this  time  I  was  his  guest.  This  came 
about  in  the  following  manner : 

I  was  now  presiding  elder  of  a  district  which 
included  the  Nez  Perces  Indian  Reservation,  in 
one  of  the  fertile  valleys  of  which  Jonah  had  his 
home.  The  larger  part  of  this  district  was  made 
up  of  a  great  wheat-growing  section,  known  as 
the  Palouse  country.  Wheat  was  the  almost  sole 
product  of  the  farms,  and  the  people  were  de- 
pendent upon  this  crop  for  their  living.  The  crop 
of  1893  was  unusually  large,  even  for  this  most 
productive  section,  and  had  it  been  harvested  and 
sold,  would  have  paid  off  many  a  mortgage  be- 


Jonah  Hays,  the  Christian  Indian.  159 

sides  providing  the  people  with  the  necessaries 
of  life ;  but  just  at  the  beginning  of  harvest,  and 
several  weeks  earlier  than  usual,  the  rains  be- 
gan to  fall,  and,  with  slight  intermission,  were 
constant  for  many  weeks.  Occasionally  there 
would  be  a  few  days  of  sunshine  in  which  the 
headers  and  reapers  would  be  set  to  work,  but 
before  what  was  cut  could  be  threshed,  or  even 
stacked,  the  rain  would  begin  again ;  and  thus 
it  continued  until  long  after  harvest  should  have 
been  ended. 

That  season  will  long  be  remembered  and 
will  pass  into  the  history  of  the  country  as  the 
autumn  of  disaster,  or  the  Wet  Fall.  Fully 
ninety  per  cent  of  the  grain  perished  in  the  field 
and  brought  the  owners  almost  no  returns. 
Many  of  the  ranchers  had  gone  in  debt  in  pre- 
paring for  the  crop  and  in  caring  for  it,  and 
now,  after  the  harvest  time,  they  had  nothing 
with  which  to  pay.  Such  another  season  had 
never  been  known  in  this  section,  and  now,  after 
ten  years  have  gone,  none  like  it  has  come.  Much 
of  the  grain  which  had  been  threshed,  molded  and 
spoiled  in  the  bin  or  sack.     Many  of  the  people 


l6o  Blazing  the  Way. 

who  formerly  had  an  abundance  of  the  good 
things  of  life  suddenly  found  themselves  in  a 
condition  of  actual  want.  It  was  a  time  of  gen- 
eral distress,  both  in  country  and  city ;  for  all 
classes  suffered,  and  many  people  lost  their  farms 
and  homes  and  all  their  earthly  possessions  in 
the  panic  which  swept  over  the  land,  and  which 
was  especially  severe  in  this  drowned-out  wheat 
section.  The  support  of  our  pastors,  which  in 
times  of  prosperity  was  only  meager,  now  sud- 
denly became  less  than  half  what  was  actually 
needed  for  a  comfortable  support.  Many  of  our 
people  struggled  and  sacrificed  most  heroically  in 
the  attempt  to  maintain  the  Church  and  her  min- 
istry; but,  in  spite  of  all,  there  was  great  pri- 
vation. 

I  recall  one  man  who,  from  his  youth,  had 
been  wont  to  support  the  Gospel  with  liberality. 
He  rose  in  the  congregation  when  a  collection 
was  being  taken,  and  told  how  he  would  delight 
in  paying  toward  the  support  of  the  work,  and 
he  cried  out :  "But  I  have  n't  a  nickel  to  my 
name.  I  could  as  easily  pay  a  million  dollars  as 
a  nickel,  and,  what  is  more,  I  do  not  know  where 


Jonah  Hays,  the  Christian  Indian.  i6l 

the  next  nickel  is  to  come  from  which  is  needed 
in  the  support  of  my  family,  nor  do  I  know  how 
my  children  are  to  live  through  the  winter."  He 
broke  down  and  wept  as  he  concluded,  and  others 
joined  him  in  tears ;  for  they  knew  that  every 
word  was  true,  and  some  of  them  were  in  a  like 
condition.  It  is  difficult  to  say  what  some  of  our 
pastors  would  have  done  during  that  trying  win- 
ter and  the  one  which  followed,  had  we  not  been 
able  to  draw,  in  a  few  instances,  small  sums  from 
the  contingent  fund  of  the  ^Missionary  Society. 
Now  that  these  years  of  sore  trial  are  past,  we 
are  able  to  look  back  and  see  how  God's  hand 
was  with  his  people  even  in  the  darkest  of  those 
days,  for  He  overruled  for  good.  Farmers  were 
driven,  by  the  stress  upon  them,  to  take  up  diver- 
sified farming,  and  they  learned,  in  the  school  of 
necessity  and  experience,  that  it  was  best  to  have 
more  than  one  thing  to  depend  upon,  and  since 
then  they  have  not  tried  to  "carry  all  their  eggs 
in  one  basket."  The  people  also  learned  valua- 
ble lessons  in  economy,  and  came  to  know  some- 
thing of  the  joys  of  helping  one  another  when  in 
need. 
II 


l62  Blazing  the  Way. 

Better  than  all  this,  these  trials  turned  the 
attention  of  the  people  to  the  fact  that  riches  of 
an  earthly  character  are  very  unstable,  and  that 
the  greatest  need  of  humanity  is  the  wealth  of  an 
eternal  character  which  God  supplies  to  His  chil- 
dren ;  and  thus  many  persons,  finding  all  their 
earthly  support  gone,  and  realizing  as  never  be- 
fore the  utter  vanity  of  mere  earthly  property, 
turned  to  God  and  obtained  the  real  riches  of 
divine  grace.  So  it  came  to  pass  that  these  hard 
times,  as  they  were  called,  came  to  be  the  best 
times  spiritually  that  the  Church  in  these  parts 
had  ever  known.  Revivals  of  religion  were  larger 
and  more  general  than  ever  before,  and  thus 
times  of  refreshing  from  the  Lord  came  to  help 
out  in  this  time  of  greatest  need.  It  is  a  pleas- 
ing fact  that  our  ministry  was  loyal  and  staid  by 
the  work,  and  kept  the  Gospel  fires  burning  with 
more  than  ordinary  fervor  during  all  this  period 
of  depression  and  suffering.  Indeed,  many  were 
the  acts  of  heroic  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  both 
pastors  and  people. 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  these  times,  near  the 
close  of  October,  1893,  ^^^^  ^V  work  called  me 


Jonah  Hays,  the  Christian  Indian.  163 

to  visit  a  section  about  seventy-five  miles  east 
of  the  nearest  railroad  point  in  Northern  Idaho. 
I  held  quarterly-meeting  in  the  town  of  Ken- 
drick  on  Sunday,  and  v^'as  due  at  my  next  ap- 
pointment, seventy-five  miles  distant,  a  week 
later ;  but  how  to  get  there  across  the  country, 
with  no  means  of  conveyance,  was  the  problem 
which  confronted  me.  As  was  the  rule  during 
these  times,  my  allowance  for  salary  was  not 
more  than  half  met,  and  I  was  at  my  wit's  end 
how  to  make  ends  meet  and  pay  for  transporta- 
tion to  the  next  place.  I  went  to  a  livery  barn 
and  inquired  the  price  of  a  horse  and  saddle  for 
ten  days,  and  found  it  would  cost  me  ten  dollars. 
The  price  was  reasonable  enough;  but  I  did  not 
have  more  than  half  that  sum,  and  the  rule  of 
the  Discipline  about  not  running  in  debt  was 
very  pertinent  at  this  time;  for  I  could  see  no 
probability  of  paying  any  debts  which  I  might 
contract.  I  was  comforted  by  the  reflection  that 
I  had  a  whole  week  in  which  to  make  the  jour- 
ney, and  I  said  to  myself  that  I  could  walk  the 
distance  in  that  time ;  so,  without  mentioning  the 
subject  to  any  one  else,  when  Monday  morning 


1  ^4  Blazing  the  Way. 

came  I  was  off  bright  and  early,  and  on  foot.  It 
was  a  beautiful  day  and  I  enjoyed  the  walk  this 
first  stage  of  my  journey. 

My  course  lay  across  the  Nez  Perces  Indian 
Reservation.  I  followed  the  Potlatch  Creek  down 
to  the  Kooskooskee,  as  the  natives  call  that  river ; 
then  down  this  stream  to  the  ferry  at  Lapwai, 
the  old  Indian  Mission  Station  which  was  estab- 
lished in  1836.  Here  I  crossed  the  river,  and 
continued  my  walk  up  the  Sweetwater  Creek,  and 
after  a  tramp  of  more  than  twenty  miles  I  came 
to  the  home  of  Jonah  Hays  about  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon.  Jonah  gave  me  a  most  cordial 
greeting,  and  clung  to  my  hand  with  childlike 
glee  at  the  joy  of  seeing  me  again.  While  stand- 
ing before  his  home,  which  consisted  of  a  small 
frame  house  and  a  wigwam  of  cloth  standing 
near  it,  he  went  into  a  lengthy  recital  of  how, 
more  than  thirteen  months  before,  he  had  gone 
to  Conference,  and  he  again  repeated  the  story 
of  that  expedition,  and  told  of  how  I  had  cared 
for  him,  and  how  he  had  returned  to  his  home, 
and  he  concluded  his  narrative  by  calling  me  by 
name  and  saying:    "You  are  my   friend;  you 


Jonah  Hays,  the  Christian  Indian.  165 

come  in  and  stay  with  me."  Then  he  suddenly 
turned  to  me  again,  as  if  he  had  forgotten  some- 
thing, and  asked:  "Where  are  you  going?  How 
far  have  you  walked  to-day?"  Upon  my  reply- 
ing to  his  questions,  he  added,  again  calling  me 
by  name  :  "Too  much  walk  ;  too  much  walk."  I 
almost  knew  that  the  next  day  I  should  ride. 

I  found  two  families  living  in  the  establish- 
ment of  Jonah  Hays:  himself  and  wife,  and  his 
married  daughter  and  her  husband,  a  white  man, 
and  their  numerous  children.  The  house  had  two 
rooms,  one  of  which  was  very  large  and  extended 
across  the  entire  front  of  the  building.  This  was 
a  sort  of  combination  living  and  sleeping-room, 
while  the  one  in  the  rear  was  the  dining-room 
and  kitchen.  The  cloth  tepee  at  the  side  of  the 
house  appeared  to  be  of  the  primitive  sort,  with 
a  fire  in  the  center,  a  hole  at  the  peak  for  the 
escape  of  smoke,  and  with  ample  room  about  the 
low  sides  for  men,  women,  and  children  to  lie 
with  their  feet  toward  the  fire.  That  night  all, 
except  Jonah  and  his  squaw  and  their  guest,  slept 
in  the  tepee,  and  the  exceptions  occupied  low 
wooden  beds  of  home  manufacture  in  the  house. 


1 66  Blazing  the  Way. 

A  couple  of  hours  after  my  arrival  it  be- 
came evident  that  the  evening  meal  was  in  a 
state  of  preparation,  and  a  little  before  dark  I 
was  invited  to  sit  down  with  the  entire  family 
to  supper  in  the  rear  room  of  the  house.  A 
glance  sufficed  to  convince  one  that  there  was 
enough  to  eat ;  for  there  were  three  or  four  quar- 
ters of  dressed  beef  in  various  degrees  of  mutila- 
tion hanging  on  the  sides  of  the  room,  thus  mak- 
ing convenient  resting  places  for  the  swarms  of 
flies  which  infested  the  place,  and  which  other- 
wise would  have  no  doubt  rested  on  the  table.  A 
long  table  was  covered  with  oilcloth,  on  which 
were  the  various  dishes  and  food.  I  did  not  re- 
main hungry  for  a  very  long  time;  in  fact,  my 
appetite  left  me  before  I  began  to  eat.  Nearly 
all  present  seemed  to  relish  the  meal  and  ate 
heartily,  and  probably  not  more  than  one  of  the 
company  noticed  a  not  agreeable  odor  from  the 
dressed  meat  which  adorned  the  walls.  I  had  no 
doubt  but  mine  host  was  doing  his  best  by  me, 
and  I  was  truly  grateful. 

Not  long  after  supper  the  neighboring  In- 
dians, in  response  to  a  loud  call  from  the  throat 


Jonah  Hays,  the  Christian  Indian.  167 

of  Jonah,  began  to  drop  in,  and  the  conversation 
which  I  could  not  understand,  was  quite  ani- 
mated. Presently  my  "friend"  told  me  in  good 
English  that  we  would  now  have  family  wor- 
ship, and  that  after  singing  he  would  expect  me 
to  read  the  Scriptures,  and  talk  to  his  neighbors 
and  lead  in  prayer.  The  singing  was  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  natives  and  consisted  of  a  very  gut- 
tural rendering  of  "Jesus,  Lover  of  my  soul," 
accompanied  by  a  very  marked  swaying  of  the 
body.  Their  stolid  brown  faces  glowed  with 
fervor  and  animation  as  they  warmed  up  to  the 
spirit  of  this  old  hymn,  which  appears  to  be 
adapted  to  soothe  and  comfort  the  burdened 
hearts  of  all  tribes  and  races  of  men.  During 
this  service  the  women  were  seated  on  the  floor, 
as  there  were  only  chairs  enough  for  the  men, 
and  no  self-respecting  Indian  would  think  of 
giving  his  squaw  the  preferable  seat  on  an  occa- 
sion like  this.  Such  is  the  long-seated  custom  of 
heathenism,  and  it  requires  more  teaching  and 
example  of  Christianity  than  these  Indians  have 
vet  possessed  to  reverse  the  old  order  of  things. 
During    many  generations  the  women  of    the 


1 68  Blazing  the  Way. 

tribes  have  performed  the  menial  and  hard  serv- 
ice of  procuring  fuel,  digging  camas,  carrying 
water,  and  bearing  heavy  burdens  for  the  ease 
and  comfort  of  the  men,  and  they  have  thor- 
oughly learned  the  lesson  that  in  honor  the  lord 
and  master  is  to  be  preferred. 

The  next  morning  soon  after  breakfast,  v^hich 
was  before  daybreak,  Jonah  again  informed  me 
tliat  my  walk  was  too  much  for  me.  Doubtless 
had  I  been  a  woman  he  would  have  thought 
nothing  of  it ;  but  he  disliked  to  have  the  sex 
disgraced  by  walking  as  I  had  been  doing,  and 
accordingly  he  appeared  to  be  much  exercised 
in  mind  on  my  account,  fearing  that  I  would 
perform  too  much  of  this  kind  of  womanly  serv- 
ice. I  confessed  to  a  feeling  that  he  was  telling 
the  truth  when  he  affirmed  that  I  had  walked  too 
much,  and  soon  I  was  made  glad  by  noticing 
that  Jonah  was  busy  with  his  horses  and  saddles. 
It  was  not  long  before  two  horses  were  in  readi- 
ness, and,  one  being  assigned  to  me,  we  were 
soon  on  our  way  up  the  mountain  which  now 
must  be  crossed.  Jonah  accompanied  me  about 
twelve  miles,  which,  .considering  the  ascent,  was 


Jonah  Hays,  the  Christian  Indian.  169 

a  positive  "lift"  on  my  journey,  and  his  kindness 
was  fully  appreciated. 

Before  we  parted  he  asked  me  to  stop  with 
him  on  my  return,  and  urged  me  to  fix  the  date, 
as  he  wished  to  have  a  meeting  at  which  I  should 
preach  and  administer  the  sacrament  of  baptism 
to  one  of  his  grandchildren.  I  complied  with 
his  wishes  so  far  as  making  the  appointment  was 
concerned,  after  which  he  again  reminded  me 
that  I  was  his  friend  and  he  mine,  and  we  shook 
hands  on  the  summit  of  Craig  Mountain  under 
the  whispering  pines,  and  I  took  up  my  tramp 
with  the  feeling  of  thankfulness  that  this  Chris- 
tian man,  though  a  native  son  of  the  forest,  was 
my  friend. 

During  the  next  eight  days  my  appointments 
were  all  met  in  their  regular  order,  and  it  was 
my  fortune  to  find  friends  who  proved  their 
friendship  by  helping  me  on  my  way,  so  that  I 
did  not  walk  more  than  half  the  distance  in  either 
going  or  returning.  On  the  return  trip  I  spent 
a  night  at  a  very  pleasant  and  hospitable  home 
about  twenty-five  miles  from  my  Indian  friend. 
The  next  night   I  would  be  due  at  the  latter 


lyo  Blazing  the  Way. 

place,  and  the  intervening  distance  must  be 
walked  in  a  single  day.  The  roads  were  quite 
heavy  with  mud,  as  the  wet  weather  was  still 
the  rule.  After  an  early  breakfast  I  began  the 
tramp  for  the  day.  The  rain  had  now  turned  to 
snow,  which  was  falling  rapidly,  and  was  three 
or  more  inches  deep.  Of  course  the  walking 
through  the  ever-deepening  snow  on  a  mud  foun- 
dation was  anything  but  easy.  On  and  on  I 
trudged,  the  snow  getting  deeper  and  deeper  for 
the  first  half  the  distance.  At  last,  after  noon,  I 
came  to  the  regular  stopping  place  for  travelers, 
and  rested  for  a  while,  and  then  tramped  on. 

As  I  descended  the  mountain  the  snow  de- 
creased in  depth,  and  finally  turned  to  rain  as  it 
fell.  About  dark,  as  I  was  now  well  down  the 
mountain,  the  rail  fell  in  torrents,  and  before  I 
reached  my  destination  the  mud  was  nearly  as 
deep  in  places  as  the  snow  Had  been  on  the  moun- 
tain. That  day's  tramp  finally  ;came  to  an  end 
about  eight  o'clock,  at  which  time  I  knocked  at 
the  cabin  of  my  friend  Jonah,  thoroughly  tired 
and  fully  drenched.  I  was  truly  in  a  sad  condi- 
tion, and  hardly  fit  for  religious  service  of  a  pub- 


Jonah  Hays,  the  Christian  Indian.  171 

lie  nature ;  yet  the  people  were  expecting  me, 
and  soon  would  begin  to  come  for  worship.  I 
was  glad  to  sit  by  the  side  of  a  great  box-stove 
and  dry  myself  by  the  heat  of  the  roaring  wood 
fire  within.  I  drew  off  my  socks  and  wrung  the 
water  out  of  them,  while  my  shoes  and  trousers 
steamed  in  very  gratitude.  After  the  evening 
meal,  which  was  somewhat  delayed  on  my  ac- 
count, I  resumed  my  position  by  the  fire  to  com- 
plete  the  work  of  desiccation,  while  the  congre- 
gation was  assembling  in  the  same  room. 

After  a  little  time  about  twenty  of  the  dusky 
natives  were  present  and  waiting.  These  were 
men,  women  and  children,  and  more  than  half 
were  crouched  in  heaps  on  the  bare  floor.  Though 
it  was  still  raining  on  the  outside,  these  people 
did  not  miss  the  opportunity  of  assembling  for 
worship.  They  were  not  afraid  of  spoiling  their 
clothing  or  of  loosing  the  crimps  from  their  hair. 
They  came  with  nothing  but  nature's  covering  on 
their  head,  unless  it  might  be  a  blanket,  which 
was  used  in  some  cases  by  being  drawn  over  the 
head  and  shoulders  or  wrapped  about  the  body. 
The  few  feathers  which  were  worn  on  this  occa- 


172  Blazing  the  Way. 

sion  were  not  ostrich  plumes,  and  no  flowers  or 
ribbons  were  employed  to  set  off  their  peculiar 
style  of  beauty. 

After  the  baptismal  service  Jonah  led  in  sing- 
ing, in  which  exercise  nearly  all  present  joined, 
and  at  its  conclusion  mine  host  turned  to  me  call- 
ing my  name,  and  saying  in  a  tone  of  authority, 
"You  preach."  In  spite  of  his  bearing  and  com- 
mand, and  knowing  that  he  was  the  leading  man 
of  the  community,  and  realizing  that  I  was  his 
guest,  still  I  did  not  feel  in  the  spirit  for  preach- 
ing. It  seemed  to  me  that  a  sermon  was  hardly 
needed  on  this  occasion,  but  a  very  brief  talk  with 
a  selection  from  the  Word,  read  and  explained 
in  a  familiar  manner,  would  do  more  good  and  be 
more  fitting.  So  I  read  a  passage  from  the  Gospels, 
and  gave  a  few  practical  hints  which  I  thought 
might  do  some  good,  and  then  turned  to  Jonah 
and  with  all  the  authority  at  my  command,  I 
said,  "Jonah,  now  you  preach."  He  was  greatly 
pleased,  and  was  certainly  as  willing  as  obedient, 
for  he  rose  and  in  his  own  tongue  addressed  his 
neighbors  for  about  twenty  minutes,  I  have  no 


Jonah  Hays,  the  Christian  Indian.  I73 

doubt  more  to  their  understanding  and  edifica- 
tion than  I  could  have  done.  Meantime  I  sat  by 
the  stove  and  continued  the  drying  process  until 
I  felt  that  my  clothing  was  as  dry  as  my  words 
had  been. 

As  there  was  other  company  in  the  house  that 
night,  nine  of  us,  men,  women,  and  children  oc- 
cupied the  same  room.  The  cloth  tent  outside 
was  also  full  of  lodgers.  Though  having  a  bed 
all  to  myself,  I  was  restless,  and  the  night  seemed 
to  be  unusually  long.  Nine  persons  in  one  poorly 
ventilated  room  of  ordinary  size  constitute  alto- 
gether too  dense  a  population  for  comfort  or 
health. 

The  next  morning  Jonah  again  showed  his 
friendship  by  saddling  two  horses,  and  then,  in 
a  steady  rain,  which  lasted  during  the  entire 
journey,  he  took  me  back  to  my  starting  point  at 
the  terminus  of  the  railroad.  About  noon  we 
entered  the  town,  where  I  provided  Jonah  with 
stable-room  for  his  horses,  and  we  took  dinner 
together  at  a  restaurant  which  Jonah  persisted  in 
calling  a  "little  hotel."    My  trip  of  ten  days,  ow- 


174  Blazing  the  Way. 

ing  to  the  goodness  of  my  friends  and  the  prac- 
tice of  close  economy,  had  cost  me  less  than  two 
dollars.  In  this,  however,  I  do  not  count  the 
items  of  "wear  and  tear"  over  against  which 
must  be  placed  interesting  and  valuable  expe- 
rience with  Indians  and  others. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Elijah  of  the  Coeur  d'Alenes. 

In  January,  1893,  I  paid  my  first  visit  to  the 
Coeur  d'Alenes,  as  the  highest  group  of  moun- 
tains in  Northern  Idaho  is  called.  This  is  a  well 
known  and  justly  famous  mining  region,  from 
which  many  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  silver 
and  lead  and  other  minerals  have  heen  taken. 
The  region  is  about  one  hundred  miles  to  the 
east  of  Spokane,  in  the  Pan  Handle  of  the  State. 
The  towns  of  the  section  in  order  of  size  are  Wal- 
lace, Wardner,  Murray,  Mullen,  Burke,  and 
Gem.  The  first  named  is  a  wholesale  and  resi- 
dence town  ;  the  others  are  typical  mining  camps, 
where  the  floating  population  of  toilers  make 
their  homes,  many  of  which  are  of  a  temporary 
nature. 

This  group  of  towns  and  camps,  with  the  in- 
tervening country,  has  a  population  of  about  ten 
thousand  people.  The  section  is  reached  by  two 
175 


176  Blazing  the  Way. 

railroads,  branches  of  the  Northern  and  Union 
Pacific  systems.  For  many  years  this  region  has 
been  known,  and  with  good  reason,  as  a  very 
wicked  section.  Saloons,  gambling  dens,  and  al- 
lied evils  are  everywhere  to  be  found,  and  at  this 
time  were  all  "wide  open."  There  were  but  a 
very  few  of  the  people  who  made  any  distinction 
among  the  days  of  the  week  whereby  a  Christian 
Sabbath  was  recognized,  nearly  all  kinds  of  work 
being  done  and  business  conducted  on  that  day 
the  same  as  on  others.  Drunkenness,  carousals, 
and  fightings  were  so  common  as  to  attract  little 
or  no  attention  beyond  the  excitement  of  the 
moment.  This  section  has  since  been  the  scene 
of  several  riots  and  labor  troubles  of  such  mag- 
nitude as  to  require  the  presence  of  the  militia, 
and  even  the  troops  of  the  General  Government, 
in  order  to  protect  life  and  property,  and  a  few 
years  ago  the  entire  section  was  under  martial 
law  for  several  months  after  an  outbreak  of  more 
than  ordinary  violence,  which  resulted  in  the  loss 
of  life  and  much  valuable  property. 

At  this  particular  time  when  I  visited  Wallace 
and  Wardner,  one  of  our  ministers  had  been  in 


The  Elijah  of  the  Coeur  d'Alenes.  177 

charge  at  the  latter  place  for  a  number  of  years, 
but  had  not  succeeded  in  effecting  an  organiza- 
tion of  the  Church  at  any  of  these  places.  This 
was  a  strange  situation,  where  a  Methodist  min- 
ister could  serve  as  pastor  for  a  long  time, 
among  ten  thousand  people  and  fail  to  organize 
some  of  them  into  societies.  At  Wallace  the 
Southern  Methodists  had  a  church  building  and 
a  small  class,  but  their  efforts  were  rewarded  by 
very  small  results.  The  Protestant  Episcopalians 
and  Baptists,  each  had  a  building  here  also,  but 
appeared  to  be  accomplishing  but  little. 

Our  pastor,  who  lived  at  Wardner,  was  an 
old  and  highly  esteemed  man,  who  was  familiarly 
known  as  Father  White,  a  handsome  and  pa- 
triarchal person  in  appearance,  and  as  noble  and 
good  and  true  as  he  looked.  He  was  a  man 
who  knew  no  compromise  with  evil  or  the  ap- 
pearance of  evil.  He  was  very  blunt  and  out- 
spoken in  manner  and  speech,  and  at  times,  when 
wrought  up  with  his  theme,  whether  in  preaching 
or  in  conversation,  he  presented  the  appearance, 
to  people  who  did  not  know  him,  of  being  in  an- 
ger ;  but  a  kinder  man  at  heart  never  lived.     He 

12 


178  Blazing  the  Way, 

loved  the  people  he  worked  among  as  a  true  pas- 
tor always  does,  though  only  a  few  were  fortu- 
nate enough  to  make  the  discovery,  such  a 
strange  and  rough  way  had  he  of  showing  his 
affection.  He  was  a  voice  crying  in  the  wilder- 
ness of  sin  about  him.  His  conception  of  his 
ministerial  duty  was  that  he  must  cry  out  against 
iniquity  and  spare  not,  and  faithfully  did  he  per- 
form his  mission.  He  effected  no  organization 
of  the  Church  during  his  four  or  five  years'  pas- 
torate in  this  field,  for  he  found  but  few  whom 
he  was  willing  to  receive  into  Church  fellowship, 
and  these  few  were  unwilling  to  enter  upon  this 
unpopular  relationship.  He  delivered  his  mes- 
sage whenever  and  wherever  opportunity  af- 
forded, not  only  on  the  Sabbath  in  his  hired  hall, 
but  in  the  home,  the  hotel,  the  market,  the  mine, 
the  office  of  the  mine  owner  or  manager,  or  wher- 
ever he  could  find  one  or  more  to  listen.  If  any 
persons  gave  him  opportunity  to  speak  his  mind, 
they  were  in  courtesy  compelled  to  hear  him  to 
the  end.  His  hobby  was  Sabbath  observance, 
and  he  firmly  believed,  and  therefore  taught,  that 
people  must  keep  God's  law  of  the  Sabbath  or 


The  Elijah  of  the  Caeur  d'Alenes.  179 

the  entire  structure  of  society  would  topple  into 
ruin.  He  everywhere  taught  that  the  miners  of 
the  Coeur  d'Alenes  would  come  to  grief  if  they 
continued  in  their  course  of  disobelience.  He 
talked  to  the  managers  and  owners  of  the  mines, 
and  wrote  to  the  absent  stockholders,  and  his 
voice  of  warning  declared  that  they  were  "sow- 
ing the  wind,  and  they  would  reap  the  whirl- 
wind." He  repeatedly  affirmed  that  this  was  a 
region  of  unsurpassed  wealth,  and  if  properly 
managed  it  would  be  as  it  ought  to  be,  a  very 
prosperous  and  happy  section,  but  to  this  end  the 
people  must  keep  God's  laws.  His  censures  upon 
the  mine-owners  were  most  severe  and  persistent. 
He  would  frequently  ring  the  changes  on  the 
truth  as  follows:  "If  you  insist  upon  bringing 
a  lot  of  men  here  and  refuse  to  allow  them  to 
keep  the  Sabbath,  you  are  helping  to  break  down 
the  home  and  all  kindred  institutions.  Some  men 
would  gladly  rest  on  the  Lord's  day,  but  you  will 
not  permit  it,  as  you  require  them  to  toil  seven 
days  in  the  week,  and  if  you  force  men  to  break 
God's  law  you  must  not  find  fault  if  they  break 
man's  law,  too.    You  will  some  day  see  this  when 


l8o  Blazing  the  Way. 

it  will  be  too  late,  for  you  will  suffer  from  the 
hands  of  the  very  men  whom  you  now  force  to 
toil  in  violence  of  the  laws  of  both  God  and  man." 
Thus  he  hurled  the  truths  of  his  soul  at  all  classes 
of  violators  of  law,  and  some  were  compelled  to 
listen  and  to  tremble  as  he  poured. in  the  truth 
with  words  of  fire. 

Father  White  met  me  at  the  station  as  I 
stepped  from  the  train  at  Wardner  that  January 
day,  and  we  walked  and  talked  together  for  a 
mile  up  the  canyon,  where  the  town  extends  along 
both  the  terraced  sides  of  the  ravine,  now  stripped 
of  its  native  trees.  We  climbed  up  a  rugged  foot- 
path on  the  mountain-side  to  the  cabin  which 
served  as  the  parsonage.  This  man  of  God  was 
without  family  on  earth,  and  lived  alone  in  a  log 
house  of  one  room,  twelve  by  fourteen  feet  in 
size.  Here  he  slept,  and  read,  and  thought,  and 
prayed.  He  lived  near  God  and  he  spoke  God's 
message.  People  respected  him  when  they  nearly 
broke  his  heart  by  disregarding  the  truths  which 
he  uttered.  He  had  a  number  of  faithful  hearers, 
and  no  doubt  some  of  them  were  Christian  peo- 
ple.    His  Sunday-school,  which  met  each  Sab- 


The  Elijah  of  the  Coeur  d'Alenes.  i8l 

bath  in  the  schoolhouse,  doubtless  accomplished 
much  good  among  the  children,  though  it  was 
not  a  popular  institution.  Most  people  who  knew 
Father  White  would  acknowledge  that  he  set 
them  to  thinking,  and  there  is  no  good  reason  for 
doubting  that  he  was  all  the  time  sowing  seed 
which  in  time  would  bear  a  harvest  for  others  to 
gather. 

On  the  occasion  of  this  visit  we  went  to  Wal- 
lace to  study  the  situation  at  that  center.  We 
stopped  at  a  hotel,  in  the  public  room  of  which 
there  were  about  forty  or  fifty  persons  idling 
away  the  time  and  trying  to  keep  warm,  for  the 
weather  was  bitter  cold.  The  dining-room  ad- 
joined this  office  or  waiting-room,  with  an  open 
arch  between.  While  eating  my  dinner,  Father 
White  remained  in  the  office  with  the  men.  Pres- 
ently I  discovered  that  he  held  the  floor.  I  in- 
ferred that  some  one  had  asked  him  about  the 
conditions  at  Wardner,  and  in  reply  he  made  a 
ten-minute  speech  which  contained  several  ser- 
mons in  one,  but,  like  concentrated  food,  the 
substance  was  all  there.  He  was  walking  the 
floor,  and  he  held  his  audience  well  as  the  truth 


1 82  Blazing  the  Way. 

rolled  from  his  lips  in  impassioned  oratory.    He 
was  saying  something  about  like  this : 

"There  will  be  trouble  yet  in  this  region. 
The  mine  operators  have  brought  in  men  to  work 
for  them,  some  of  whom  would  be  glad  to  rest 
on  the  Sabbath,  and  all  of  whom  would  do  better 
work  if  they  did,  for  it  always  pays  to  keep  the 
commandments  of  the  Creator ;  but  they  are  not 
allowed  to  do  so,  and  as  a  result  of  their  enforced 
violation  of  God's  commands,  they  are  taught  to 
break  human  laws  and  disregard  all  law,  and  as  a 
further  result  there  will  come  a  time  when  they 
will  trample  all  law  under  foot,  and  we  shall 
have  a  condition  of  anarchy.  I  tell  you  this 
course  will  yet  cost  the  owners  of  these  mines 
millions  of  dollars,  besides  much  bloodshed.  I 
have  watched  this  thing  all  the  way  from  Califor- 
nia and  Nevada  up  to  the  British  line  for  the  past 
forty  years,  and  I  know  the  truth  of  what  I  say ; 
and  when  it  is  too  late  men  will  see  that  I  tell 
the  truth,  and  they  will  then  rue  the  day  they 
thus  trampled  under  foot  the  laws  of  Jehovah. 
Suffering,  sacrifice,  and  blood  will  all  follow  such 
a  course  as  is  now  being  pursued." 


The  Elijah  of  the  CcEur  d'AIenes.  183 

In  this  manner  he  drove  the  truth  home  to  the 
hearts  of  his  Hsteners  ;  for  none  could  with  safety 
interrupt  him  while  speaking.  He  had  learned 
that,  in  order  to  have  his  say  out  to  the  finish,  he 
must  keep  on  talking  regardless  of  what  might 
take  place,  and  accordingly  his  rule  was  to  keep 
at  it  until  he  had  carried  his  point  by  making  his 
auditors  listen,  whether  they  agreed  with  him  or 
not.  His  prophecy  came  true  in  this  case  to  the 
very  letter.  He  spoke  with  the  foresight  of  a 
seer.  He  earned  for  himself  the  sobriquet  of 
"the  Elijah  of  the  Cceur  d'AIenes,"  by  which 
honored  title  he  was  known  by  many. 

Ten  years  have  passed  since  then,  and  great 
progress  has  been  made  by  the  Church  in  those 
parts.  We  now  have  societies  or  classes  in  five 
or  more  places,  have  three  good  church  buildings 
and  two  parsonages,  and  we  are  strongest  in  Wal- 
lace, where  at  that  time  we  had  not  even  a  name 
to  live.  It  is  my  belief  that  Father  White,  with 
all  his  peculiarities,  did  a  good  and  much  needed 
work  in  that  section,  and  was  the  forerunner  of 
others  who  have  been  more  successful  builders ; 
but  Father  White  laid  the  foundation  upon  which 
thev  have  built. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
Oasis  and  Desert. 

The  lakes  of  Northern  Idaho  are  famous  for 
their  beautiful  and  picturesque  setting.  The 
water  is  deep  and  clear  and  pure,  and  the  moun- 
tains, in  many  instances,  rise  to  dizzy  heights 
above  the  surface.  Their  sides  are  covered  with 
fir  and  pine,  and  their  reflection  on  the  mirror 
surface  of  the  water  is  almost  beyond  descrip- 
tion. These  lakes  are,  for  the  most  part,  water- 
f^.lled  canyons,  with  the  sides  extending  for  a 
long  distance  both  below  and  above  the  water's 
edge.  So  still  is  the  water  of  these  almost 
fathomless  lakes  that  all  sediment  sinks  to  the 
bottom  and  the  water  issues  at  the  outlet  pure 
and  clear. 

The  largest  of  these  fresh  water  bodies  are  the 

Lake  Coeur  d'Alene  and  Lake  Pend  d'Oreille, 

each  being  about  fifty  miles  long  by  from  one  to 

thirty  miles  broad.     In  common  with  all  other 

184 


Oasis  and  Desert.  io5 

lakes  of  this  section,  these  abound  with  fish  and 
are  the  home  of  countless  waterfowl.  The  outlet 
of  Lake  Pend  d'Oreille  is  a  river  bearing  the 
same  name,  a  most  beautiful  and  interesting 
stream  which  flows  to  the  northwest  through 
forty  miles  of  the  most  beautiful  and  picturesque 
natural  woodland  and  meadow  one  ever  saw,  un- 
til all  of  a  sudden  it  appears  to  plunge  into  the 
solid  side  of  a  wall  of  rock,  but  in  reality  enters 
a  narrow  box  .canyon  with  high  and  precipitous 
walls,  which  extend  upward  for  many  feet  on  both 
sides  of  the  now  narrow  and  raging  torrent.  In 
the  time  of  high  water,  which  occurs  in  the 
month  of  May  when  the  snows  melt  from  the 
mountains,  this  canyon  is  too  narrow  to  allow  the 
increased  volume  of  water  to  pass  as  rapidly  as 
it  reaches  its  entrance,  and,  as  a  result,  it  backs 
up  and  overflows  a  vast  extent  of  country,  thus 
forming  a  great  lake  which  lasts  for  a  few  weeks 
cf  each  year,  and  submerges  many  square  miles 
of  splendid  meadow  lands.  The  farmers  who 
own  this  land  build  their  homes,  barns,  and  other 
buildings  at  the  base  of  the  surrounding  hills  at 
what  is  supposed   to  be   above  the   high-water 


l86  Blazing  the  Way. 

mark.  Sometimes,  however,  in  the  event  of  very 
high  water,  the  buildings  become  partly  sub- 
merged. 

A  few  years  ago  a  minister  was  sent  for  the 
first  time  to  serve  this  section.  I  shall  not  soon 
forget  my  first  visit  to  this  virgin  field,  because 
of  the  novel  method  of  reaching  it  and  of  my 
hearty  reception  by  the  pastor  and  his  good  wife. 
I  went  by  rail  to  the  nearest  station,  thinking  to 
go  from  there  by  stage-coach  to  a  place  called 
Usk,  which  was  the  center  of  the  community; 
but,  on  arriving,  found  there  would  be  no  stage 
for  two  days,  as  the  route  had  only  a  twice-a- 
week  service.  What  to  do  I  did  not  at  first 
know ;  but,  upon  inquiry,  I  learned  that  Usk, 
where  our  pastor  was  supposed  to  reside,  was 
down  the  Pend  d'Oreille  River  about  twenty 
miles.  The  thought  came  to  me  that  if  I  could 
get  a  small  boat  I  could,  in  the  half  day  still  at 
my  disposal,  row  and  float  down  to  my  destina- 
tion, and  send  the  boat  back  to  its  owner  by  a 
steamer  which  occasionally  passed  up  and  down 
the  river.  This  thought  became  a  fact,  and  that 
afternoon  I  enjoyed  one  of  the  most  pleasant  and 


Oasis  and  Desert.  187 

interesting  bcat-ridos  I  had  ever  taken.  It  was 
a  beautiful  summer  day,  and  all  nature  was  smil- 
ing in  sunshine.  The  scenery  was  as  wild  and 
varied  as  the  native  forests  described  by  Cooper 
in  his  tales  of  early  New  York.  The  water  of 
the  river  was  so  clear  that  schools  of  fish  coidd 
be  distinctly  seen  at  the  bottom  of  the  stream 
as  they  sported  on  the  light  gravelly  bottoms. 
The  river  was  quite  wide  and  shallow  in  places, 
and  elsewhere  it  became  a  narrow  and  rapid 
torrent. 

Night  overtook  me  before  Usk  was  reached, 
and  when  I  finally  came  to  it  I  did  not  know  the 
place  until  I  made  inquiry  at  the  one  house 
which  constituted  it,  and  gave  shelter  to  the  post- 
office.  When  I  found  the  pastor,  it  was  at  his 
home  in  a  log  house  a  mile  distant.  What  a 
hearty  welcome  he  and  his  wife  gave  me !  With 
what  relish  I  partook  of  the  food  which  was 
spread  before  me,  and  how  glad  I  was  to  lie 
down  and  rest  in  the  bed  prepared  for  me,  even 
though  it  was  spread  on  the  floor ! 

How  marked  the  contrast  between  this  spot 
and  others  like  it  in  being  favored  by  nature,  and 


l88  Blazing  the  Way. 

many  other  places  in  the  same  commonwealth! 
The   State  of    Idaho,    like  other  Northwestern 
States,  has  hundreds  of  thousands  of  acres  of  arid 
land  where  almost  nothing  grows  except  sage- 
brush and  cactus.     Strangers  to  these  parts  of 
our  country,  on  passing  through   for  the  first 
time,  often  express  their  disappointment  at  the 
barrenness  of  the  land.  The  soil  is  dry  and  dusty, 
with  here  and  there  patches  of  lava  rock,  which 
constitute  the  "scab  land,"  with  sagebrush  cov- 
ering the  entire  surface  from  mountain  to  moun- 
tain.    This  land,  which  appears  so  valueless  to 
the  stranger,  is  nearly  all  susceptible  of  a  high 
state  of  cultivation;  for  wherever  water  can  be 
obtained  for  irrigation  it  proves  to  be  wonder- 
fully fruitful,  and  becomes  exceedingly  valuable. 
But  in  the  central  part  of  the  State  there  is  a 
tract  of  worthless  land  known  as  the  "lava-beds," 
about  fifty  by  one  hundred  miles  in  extent.    Even 
sagebrush  refuses  to  grow  on  parts  of  this  great 
desert  tract.     In  places  a  species  of  cedar  ekes 
out  a  precarious  existence,  and  sends  out  its  roots 
like  great  serpents  over  and  among  the  rocks. 
Cottontails,   owls,   lizards,  and   rattlesnakes   are 


Oasis  and  Desert.  189 

members  of  the  animal  kingdom  which  here  pos- 
sess the  land,  and  to  these  nearly  all  others  have 
yielded  their  claims.  As  a  matter  of  course  this 
desert  is  not  inhabited  by  man,  though  people  live 
on  all  sides  of  it,  and  at  times  must  needs  cross  it. 
On  the  western  side  of  this  barren  region  is  a 
beautiful  and  extended  valley,  through  which 
flows  a  stream  a  hundred  or  more  miles  in  length, 
which  rolls  a  large  volume  of  water  toward  the 
desert  as  if  resolved  to  render  it  fruitful  and 
habitable,  but  it  soon  becomes  lost  after  reach- 
ing the  barren  lands.  Does  it  flow  under  ground 
for  another  hundred  miles  to  burst  out  finally  in 
the  "Thousand  Springs"  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  Snake  River  Canyon?  Such  is  the  theory  of 
some,  and  not  without  probability  of  its  being 
true.  This  stream  is  known  as  the  Lost  River. 
Indeed,  there  are  two  streams  which  meet  the 
same  fate  near  their  confluence,  and  they  are 
known  as  the  Big  and  the  Little  Lost  Rivers,  and 
the  country  drained  by  them  is  "the  Lost  River 
Country."  In  crossing  this  desert  it  is  necessary 
to  take  along  water  for  the  use  of  man  and  beast. 
If  this  is  neglected,  great  suffering,  or  even  death, 


190  Blazing  the  Way. 

may  ensue.  Freighters  crossing  this  tract  carry 
with  them  the  water-barrel  as  regularly  as  they 
do  their  axle-grease,  and  in  some  instances  the 
former  is  the  more  valuable. 

Prior  to  1902  all  freight  and  passengers  for 
the  Lost  River  Country  had  to  cross  this  desert 
by  team,  and  freighting  was  the  occupation  of 
hundreds  of  people.  As  nearly  all  these  em- 
ployed teams  of  from  four  to  twelve  horses,  a 
large  number  of  these  animals  were  annually 
worn  out  in  this  service.  In  addition  to  this,  a 
regular  stage-line,  with  the  old  fashioned  rocka- 
way  Concord  coaches,  carried  the  mail  and  pas- 
sengers from  Blackfoot  to  Challis  and  return, 
making  the  distance  of  the  round  trip  of  three 
hundred  miles  in  sixty  hours.  These  stage- 
coaches left  the  terminal  points  every  day,  drawn 
by  four  or  six  horses  each,  and  passengers  and 
mail  were  expected  to  make  a  continuous  pas- 
sage without  stopping  to  sleep.  Fifty  miles  of 
this  journey  lay  across  the  desert ;  but  the  route 
lay  by  the  base  of  a  large  butte,  which  divided 
the  distance  where  was  a  small  spring  and  eating 
and  feeding  station.     These  stage  rides  were  al- 


Oasis  and  Desert,  X9I 

ways  attended  with  hardship,  but  were  not  want- 
ing in  interesting  features. 

It  was  my  fortune  once  to  ride  in  front — or 
on  the  "boot,"  as  it  was  called — with  a  garrulous 
driver,  who  like  most  professional  stage  conduct- 
ors, was  inclined  to  be  boastful  of  his  horseman- 
ship and  general  success  as  a  Jehu.  He  proudly 
affirmed  that  he  always  had  the  best  "stock"  on 
the  line,  because  he  always  took  the  best  care  of 
it,  and  understood  the  nature  and  management  of 
horses  as  most  drivers  did  not.  He  asserted, 
without  hesitation,  that  he  never  had  any  trouble 
with  balky  horses,  and  they  never  refused  to  go 
at  his  bidding,  and  never  kicked.  Other  drivers 
were  greatly  troubled  with  this  kind  of  animals, 
but  he  had  the  knack  of  getting  along  with  them 
without  delay  or  embarrassment.  Indeed,  judg- 
ing from  the  six  which  he  was  now  driving,  it 
looked  as  though  he  might  be  telling  the  truth ; 
but  I  had  heard  so  much  of  his  talk  that  I  was 
skeptical.  At  nine  o'clock  that  night  we  changed 
horses,  and  four  fine-looking  animals  took  the 
place  of  the  former  six.  Our  fortunate  and  skill- 
ful driver,  who  knows  so  much  more  than  others 


192  Blazing  the  Way, 

concerning  horseflesh,  gives  the  word  to  start 
as  he  deftly  gathers  the  reins  in  his  hands,  and 
three  of  the  four  refuse  to  move  out  of  their 
tracks.  After  some  persuading  and  some  words 
which  are  unfit  to  print,  they  all  begin  and  exe- 
cute a  very  interesting  dance  with  kicking  ac- 
icompaniments,  but  with  a  stubborn  refusal  to 
travel.  Forty  minutes  of  valuable  time  is  con- 
sumed in  this  entertainment  before  we  are  again 
on  our  way.  I  am  again  on  the  box  with  the 
driver  of  horses  which  never  balk  or  kick,  but  he 
is  not  so  communicative  as  he  was  a  few  hours 
before  on  the  subject  which  is  ever  near  the 
teamster's  heart. 

In  October,  1900,  I  was  at  the  town  of  Hous- 
ton, on  this  line,  on  my  way  to  Blackfoot,  the 
railroad  point  at  that  time.  The  schedule  time 
for  the  stage  to  pass  through  this  place  is  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  each  day,  and  the 
journey  across  the  desert  would  be  taken  during 
the  night.  This  trip  was  always  dreaded,  espe- 
cially by  ladies.  At  this  time  and  place  I  met  a 
lady,  who,  upon  learning  that  I  was  soon  to  make 
the  journey  to  the  railroad,  asked  about  my  plans. 


Oasis  and  Desert.  193 

I  told  her  that  on  the  following  Monday  night  I 
would  board  the  stage  at  a  point  about  thirty 
miles  on  the  way  at  about  ten  o'clock.  As  she 
was  desirous  of  having  company  for  the  long 
and  tiresome  night  journey,  she  expressed  a  de- 
termination to  go  out  on  the  same  stage.  Ac- 
cordingly, at  the  time  which  I  had  named,  I 
hailed  the  stage  in  front  of  the  schoolhouse 
where  I  had  conducted  service,  and  asked 
the  driver  if  he  could  convey  me  to  Black- 
foot.  He  answered  in  the  affirmative,  and 
told  me  to  open  the  curtain  or  door  to 
the  coach  and  climb  in.  Another  man  was 
on  the  boot  with  the  driver,  who  shouted 
to  me  to  take  the  back  seat.  I  was  a  trifle  sur- 
prised at  this,  and  for  the  instant  wondered  why 
the  rear  seat  was  not  taken.  It  was  so  dark  when 
I  cast  a  glance  into  the  depths  of  the  coach  that 
I  could  see  nothing;  but  I  supposed,  of  course, 
it  was  occupied.  At  a  venture,  not  knowing  who 
was  inside,  but  supposing  it  was  the  lady  from 
Houston,  I  said,  "Good  evening."  but  received 
not  a  word  in  reply.  Hawever,  as  I  climbed  in  I 
accidentally  placed  my  hand  on  some  obstacle 
13 


194  Blazing  the  Way. 

which  I  felt  certain  was  a  human  knee,  but  a 
hasty  "beg  pardon"  failed  to  elicit  any  response. 
I  sat  down  in  the  rear  seat  which  I  had  all  to 
myself,  and  called  to  the  driver  to  go  ahead,  but 
was  in  a  state  of  uncertainty  as  to  who  was  my 
companion,  if  I  had  one.  Thinking  I  had  per- 
formed my  share  of  the  salutation  I  decided  to 
wait  for  future  developments.  It  was  so  very 
dark  I  could  see  absolutely  nothing,  and  the 
rumbling  of  the  coach  was  such  that  I  could  not 
hear  any  other  sound,  yet  I  felt  certain  that  some 
one  was  in  the  coach  facing  me,  and  I  fell  to  won- 
dering if  the  woman  who  had  begged  for  my 
protection  on  the  trip  was  playing  me  a  trick. 

For  a  few  miles  we  went  on  in  this  condi- 
tion of  uncertainty,  with  no  sound  within  save 
that  which  came  from  without.  Presently  we 
stopped  to  change  horses,  and  the  outside  pas- 
senger came  to  the  side  and  lifted  the  canvas 
door  and  struck  a  match,  saying  as  he  did  so, 
"Well,  boys,  how  are  you  making  it?"  As  the 
match  lighted  up  the  interior  of  the  coach,  I  saw, 
instead  of  my  anticipated  lady  traveling  com- 
panion, two  rough  and  swarthy  Indians  sitting 


Oasis  and  Desert.  195 

side  by  side  with  handcuffs  on  their  wrists,  and 
bound  fast  to  each  other.  They  were  on  their 
way  to  the  penitentiary,  and  the  man  who  was 
escorting  them  was  the  officer  having  them  in 
charge.  The  woman  from  Houston  had  waited 
for  better  company,  and  my  ride  across  the  desert 
of  Idaho  was,  as  usual,  without  the  refining  in- 
fluences of  the  gentler  sex. 

In  the  following  July  the  trip  was  again  made 
on  the  ingoing  stage,  and  among  the  passengers 
was  a  gentleman  and  his  wife  from  Michigan. 
This  was  their  first  visit  to  the  West,  and  their 
first  stage  ride,  and  they  said  it  was  the  first  time 
they  had  ever  encountered  dust.  No  doubt  it  was 
the  first  time  they  had  ever  seen  it  in  such  blind- 
ing quantity  as,  at  times,  wholly  to  shut  the  lead- 
ers of  the  six  horses  from  sight.  If  one  has  never 
seen  such  dust  as  this,  he  will  not  be  able  to  ap- 
preciate the  situation.  Of  course  the  lady's  face, 
like  the  face  of  the  others,  became  completely 
coated  w^th  dust,  but  not  to  sufficient  depth  en- 
tirely to  conceal  the  look  of  utter  disgust  which 
it  also  wore.  I  shall  not  soon  forget  the  with- 
ering look  she  gave  me  in  reply  to  my  audibly 


196  Blazing  the  Way. 

expressed  opinion  that  her  face  needed  soap  and 
water  more  than  any  other  face  in  the  company. 
Like  the  rest  of  us  she  took  her  picture  on  the 
towel  at  the  station  where  we  stopped  for  dinner. 
Rocky  Mountain  dust  and  a  Concord  coach  are 
wonderful  levelers  of  society,  and  a  few  hours' 
experience  with  them  will  convert  a  fair  coun- 
tenance into  the  appearance  of  a  Mongolian,  and 
will  largely  solve  the  color  problem  by  making 
all  alike. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
The  Niagara  of  the  West. 

Ik  Shoshone  Falls  were  as  well  known  as  is 
Niagara,  we  might,  when  referring  to  the  latter, 
call  it  the  Shoshone  of  the  East.  Probably  ten 
thousand  people  have  seen  Niagara  to  every  one 
person  who  has  looked  upon  Shoshone,  so  inac- 
cessible is  this  marvel  of  the  Snake;  and  yet 
there  are  not  wanting  persons  who  have  become 
familiar  with  both,  who  are  in  honest  doubt  as 
to  which  is  the  greater  natural  wonder.  It  is 
very  difficult  to  make  a  comparison  between  these 
two  great  falls,  because  they  are  so  unlike,  and 
yet  in  some  respects  they  are  quite  similar.  In 
each  instance  an  entire  river  makes  a  superb  leap, 
though,  in  the  case  of  the  Snake,  the  water  seems 
to  hesitate  at  first  as  it  flounders  among  the  rocks, 
now  making  a  short  dash,  now  turning  aside; 
then  another  leap  as  if  to  test  its  strength,  or  as 
if  in  fear  of  the  awful  chasm ;  and  at  last  it  seems 
to  have  yielded  to  the  inevitable,  and  makes  its 
197 


198  Blazing  the  Way. 

final  and  terrific  plunge  into  the  foaming  and 
seething  and  darkened  mass  of  water  far  below. 
The  Niagara  is  bifurcated  by  a  dividing  island 
where  the  plunge  begins,  while  the  Western  river 
makes  its  final  leap,  in  times  of  high  water,  as 
one  unbroken  body,  though  at  other  times  it  is 
divided  by  a  dozen  projecting  rocks,  and  the 
rapids,  just  above  the  last  plunge,  are  broken  by 
islands  into  numerous  rugged  and  tumbling  .chan- 
nels. The  entire  fall  of  the  Snake  is  two  hun- 
dred and  ten  feet,  and  is  thus  forty  feet  greater 
than  Niagara,  but  the  fall  of  the  latter  is  all  per- 
pendicular, while  this  is  true  of  only  about  three- 
fourths  of  Shoshone.  The  surroundings  of  these 
great  natural  wonders  are  very  dissimilar. 
Niagara  falls  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet 
in  its  course  of  twenty-five  miles,  and  the  Snake 
drops  five  hundred  feet  in  one-sixth  of  that  dis- 
tance. Niagara  is  in  a  setting  of  beautiful  green 
with  a  plethora  of  vegetation  on  all  sides,  while 
the  Snake  is  in  the  midst  of  a  desert  region, 
where  volcanic  power  has  thrown  up  great 
masses  of  brown  lava,  which  stand  on  every  hand 
in  the  utmost  confusion.  The  entire  setting  is 
(lark,  gloomy,  awe-inspiring,  awful.      Man,  as 


The  Niagara  of  the  West.  199 

yet,  has  scarcely  disturbed  the  soHtude  of  the 
place.  The  falls  are  more  than  twenty  miles 
from  the  railroad  and  from  the  town  which  bears 
their  name.  Here,  in  loneliness  which  is  almost 
overpowering  in  its  impressiveness,  the  tortuous 
Snake,  nine  hundred  feet  wide,  makes  its  terrific 
leap. 

Mr.  John  Burroughs  has  expressed  himself  in 
the  following  language :  "Shoshone  Falls  is 
probably  second  only  to  Niagara ;  less  in  volume, 
but  of  greater  height,  and  with  a  far  more  strik- 
ing and  picturesque  setting.  Indeed,  it  is  a  sort 
of  double  Niagara,  one  of  rocks  and  one  of  water, 
and  the  beholder  hardly  knows  which  is  the  more 
impressive.  Niagara  is  the  more  imposing ;  Sho- 
shone is  the  more  ideal  and  poetic.  It  is  a  fall 
from  an  abyss  into  a  deeper  abyss." 

It  is  little  wonder  that  a  visitor  has  written 

as  follows : 

"  The  Mammoth  Cave,  Niagara  Falls, 
And  California's  monster  trees, 
Yosemite  and  Yellowstone, — 

Shoshone  Falls  must  rank  with  these. 

Mighty  rush  of  waters, 

Mighty  massive  walls. 
Thunder,  mist  and  rainbow, — 

Great  Shoshone  Falls." 


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